


Will You Accept This Rose?

by tonischeryl (chloebeale)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Closeted Lesbian Cheryl Blossom, F/F, Openly Bisexual Toni Topaz, The Bachelor AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-07-02 15:52:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloebeale/pseuds/tonischeryl
Summary: Jealousy was a big part of The Bachelor, but she wasn’t supposed to be jealous of him. Leave it to Toni to be more interested in one of her fellow contestants. She did prefer girls, after all. (smut in chapter 7 & 8)





	1. Night One

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've posted here. I've been wanting to use this idea for a long time, but wasn't sure which ship I wanted to write it for. If you want to talk with me about this fic, Choni, or literally anything else, find me on twitter at @TheEarpSisters.

         

          Clad in a form-fitting black dress, she felt uncomfortable as fuck. This wasn’t Toni’s style by a long shot, but she knew that showing up to the Bachelor mansion in her usual jeans, flannel and leather jacket wouldn’t be acceptable. With the exception of the un-Toni-like outfits she might have to wear, she’d promised herself to be unabashedly herself during the show. She’d heard horror stories about girls who had ruined their lives on shows like these, girls who got so into the competition that they acted like complete monsters. While it was true that Toni wanted to find love, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice everything to get it. She already had a bad reputation in town and she wasn’t eager for the whole country to see her as that girl, too. This was a second chance and she was not going to screw this up.

          As she climbed out of the limousine, Toni caught her first glimpse of the Bachelor: a tall, dark and handsome man in a perfectly pressed suit. He wasn’t horrendous looking, so that was a good start at least, but he didn’t look like the kind of guy she’d typically date. Maybe that was a good thing, or maybe this was doomed from the start. Deciding to be positive about it, she told herself to give him a chance. With a genuine smile, she introduced herself to the stranger and tried her best to ignore the cameras that recorded their interaction.

“I’m Toni…Topaz. It’s really good to meet you.” The bubblegum haired young woman gave the Bachelor a friendly hug.

“You, too. I’m Harrison,” he responded jovially.

“How do you feel about snakes?” Toni asked with a smirk, turning to reveal the serpent design on the back of her dress. She shimmied, making the snake dance and earning a chuckle from Harrison. Hopefully that would play well on television.

“I like them on _you,”_ he admitted roguishly.

“Good answer.” She nodded, giving his arm a brief squeeze before heading toward the door to the mansion.

          As she entered, she followed the voices carrying down the hall. She found a large group of women in extravagant dresses, each drinking a cocktail more expensive looking than the last. None of the other contestants really stood out to her, at least not until a few minutes later when a commanding redhead in a red dress entered the room. Toni could feel her mouth go dry at the sight of her and not because she was nervous about the competition. She was supposed to be here to date the Bachelor, but she couldn’t help the fact that this girl was a thousand times more attractive than he was. Toni couldn’t help but imagine cherry red lipstick she wore smeared across her thighs. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she became a slave to her desires, following the redhead to the bar to get a drink and hopefully introduce herself.

“Can I _help_ you?” Her tone accusatory, the vixen in red immediately captured Toni’s interest. So maybe she had a thing for ice queens… okay?

“No. Just getting a drink. What’d you think of Harrison?” It seemed like a normal enough question to ask, given that all of them had just shown up to meet and date a complete stranger. Still, it was risky to discuss him because this was a competition, and Toni wasn’t sure how serious she was about it.

“Oh, he’s…so hot. Sweet, too. I heard he’s rich, which doesn’t hurt.” She thought she sensed some hesitance in her tone but decided not to comment on it. Toni herself wasn’t completely sold on being here, and the other woman likely felt the same way.

“Definitely. I’m Toni, by the way.”

“Cheryl.”

“What do you do, Cheryl?” Toni queried conversationally, discovering that she was genuinely interested in finding out.

“Hm, I’m the CEO of my family’s business, Blossom Maple Farms.” Her tone was nonchalant, as if she couldn’t be bothered, and fuck if it wasn’t sexy as hell.

“Maple Farms? As in maple syrup?” She clarified, wondering if such a business could even be that lucrative.

“Yep,” was all Cheryl offered in response.

Attempting to break the ice, Toni posed a question: “So, do you eat a lot of pancakes?” The other woman just stared blankly at her, leaving her desperate to save the awkward conversation before she made a complete idiot of herself.  “Sorry, that was lame. I’m just really nervous. This isn’t really my scene.”

“You don’t say.” The redhead smirked before taking a sip of wine…red, of course.

“Yeah, I feel out of sorts. I’m not really a dress and heels kind of girl.” She shrugged, looking up for a second when someone in a cat costume entered the room.

“Wow. You aren’t a… _that_ kind of girl, are you?” Cheryl laughed, gesturing to the cat girl with amusement.

She was tempted to make a comment about liking pussy but decided against it, biting her tongue instead. “Okay, wow. No, definitely not.”

          As she watched, the cat girl introduced to the other contestants. Apparently, her name was Josie, and she was an aspiring singer. Maybe the outfit was a bit much, but she did stand out, and on a show like this, that was important. The final two girls arrived and moments later, the Bachelor entered, mingling amongst the contestants. Toni watched with a pang of jealousy as Cheryl blew her off for Harrison. Jealousy was a big part of The Bachelor, but she wasn’t supposed to be jealous of _him._ Leave it to Toni to be more interested in one of her fellow contestants. She _did_ prefer girls, after all. Envious eyes followed the pair as they disappeared out the back door. Swallowing the remaining liquor at the bottom of her glass, she opted for a refill. Drinking alcohol on the show was very much encouraged and Toni could tell already she was going to have a hard time turning down free booze.

“You might want to slow down,” a soft voice suggested. “You don’t want to be the Drunk Girl on night one.”

Licking alcohol from pink lips, Toni gave the other contestant a look. “I can handle my liquor, but thanks for your concern.”

“Right, sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She trailed off, the color having drained from her face.

Suddenly Toni felt guilty for her acidic tone. She didn’t want her to think she was a bitch and though she could be in situations that called for it, now was not one of them. “Hey, no. Good looking out.” She assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze for good measure.

“Oh okay. Thanks. I like your hair, by the way.”

          The other girl introduced herself as Ethel and the two of them went out the back along with the other women. They talked about where they’d come from and why they were here, before Ethel excused herself to the bathroom, looking nervous. Toni decided to remove her uncomfortable shoes and sit at the edge of the pool, lowering her legs into the water. She observed the other women silently, chatting now and then. When Cheryl returned, she looked pissed off. It surprised Toni when she came to sit next to her, but she wasn’t about to complain. Maybe they had become friends, or at least they were on the path to doing so.

“Can you believe this place? Can’t even have a five-minute conversation without getting interrupted.” She complained, bending down to pull off a pair of expensive-looking stilettos.

          She’d noticed the height difference earlier but hadn’t realized a large part of that was due to the shoes. Much to her chagrin, Toni was still very much attracted to the redhead and felt her heart racing as her leg bumped up against hers when she sat down.

“Well…there are a shit ton of us and one of him.” Toni reminded her with a cheeky grin. All that competition for Harrison meant she’d get more time with Cheryl, and she wasn’t going to complain. She did, however, need to stick around. She needed to be sure Harrison was interested enough to keep her around. She found she was desperate to get to know this mysterious woman, gazing at her through her lashes and taking a shaky breath she hoped she didn’t notice. “I’ll go find him in a bit. Did you find out anything interesting about him?”

Cheryl shrugged, glancing down at her perfectly manicured fingernails. “Not much. I mostly talked about myself. I think he said he was in finance.” Oof, that was boring as all get out. Not really Toni’s forte. “You never told me what you do.”

“Oh. I’m a photographer.” Toni answered quietly, figuring she wouldn’t be impressed.

“Really?” Cheryl lifted her eyebrows with interest. “What kind?”

“Portraits, mostly.” She hummed, pleased.

The redhead nudged her with a soft smile. “If you ever need a model…”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” The words left her mouth before she could even consider how it would sound. Luckily, Cheryl seemed to find it charming, and she actually laughed. “Seriously, though. I’d die to take some shots of you. Maybe in this fancy mansion. I could really make you look good.”

“I _already_ look good.”

“You do. I… can make you look even better.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Was it just Toni’s wishful thinking, or was Cheryl flirting with her? She gulped, grabbing the glass she’d nearly forgotten on the side of the pool and took a swig. She’d only been here maybe half an hour and she could already tell she was in trouble. “I’m just going to go find Harrison.” She declared, rising to her feet. “Watch my shoes?” As if anyone would want to steal them – a Walmart special.

“Of course. Stake your claim, Cha Cha.” Cheryl was smiling, her entire body turned toward Toni. Her body language, her tone of voice, all of it was screaming she was interested. Toni couldn’t be imagining this, could she?

“Cha Cha?” She murmured, not understanding the reference.

The redhead pouted. “You haven’t seen Grease?”

A look of recognition came across Toni’s face. “Shit. Yeah, of course. But I’m more of a Rizzo. I won’t fault you for not realizing that, though. You _did_ just meet me.”

“Bad girl?”

“The worst.” Toni grinned wickedly and winked. “See you, Red.”

As difficult as it was, she tore herself away, her wet feet leaving a trail across the concrete. When she found Harrison, he had his tongue down a brunette’s throat. They broke the kiss and the girl shot her a simpering look. “Can I steal him for a sec?” Toni interrupted, knowing no one wanted to get cut off but also knowing it was unavoidable in this situation.

“I guess,” the girl, who she’d later learn was Veronica, muttered.

“Thanks.”

          Harrison was smiling, clearly thriving on the attention. A guy who’d come on a reality show to find love was looking to get his ego boosted and from what she’d seen tonight, that was definitely happening. He was good looking, but he seemed pretty arrogant. Somehow that arrogance was unattractive on Harrison yet delicious on Cheryl. Toni forced herself to smile, telling herself she was here to date this guy and maybe get some exposure for herself in the process. A win/win, right? Running off with another contestant was not in the cards, as badly as she might want to.

“How’s it going? You look exhausted already.” It was easy enough to talk to him. Toni had always had an easy time with guys. They fell all over her and she never had to try too hard to make it happen. Girls took more effort. They were harder to get and harder to understand. There was one thing on a guy’s mind and one thing only, even guys who were ‘looking for love.’

Harrison agreed. “It’s intense. It’s like twenty-nine first dates all in one night. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to send anybody home tonight…”

“Twenty-nine? I didn’t realize there were that many. How many do you have to send home?” She literally felt like she was talking to a guy friend, not someone she was into.

“….eight.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Toni put on a smile, deliberately placing her hand on his thigh. “I don’t want to be one of them.” Giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek, she stood up, declaring he needed his time to meet the other women. She’d come across gracious and mysterious all at the same time, or so she hoped. Leaving him, she found Cheryl again, this time draped across a chair with her eyes closed. She didn’t seem to be making much of an effort to get to know anyone else, not that Toni minded. “Hey, I’m back. Did I miss anything?” She asked as she sat at the foot of the chaise.

“Betty and Veronica making out in the jacuzzi.”

“What? You’re joking.”

“I’m not. I think they’re hoping it’ll give them more screen time.” Cheryl shrugged, opening her eyes and meeting Toni’s gaze as if daring her to say something to betray her sexuality.

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and found she was grateful for the cover of darkness. “I’m sure it will. They’re hot.” Toni paused. “All the girls here are, or they wouldn’t be on TV.”

          As the night wore on, Toni found she had more in common with Cheryl than she would’ve expected. They both had complicated family situations and they even lived near one another. How they could have gone their entire lives living less than a hundred miles away from one another without ever meeting was astounding to her. Neither of them broke their conversation to find Harrison again, having been sated by their short talks with him earlier. In this time, he presumably spoke to the rest of the contestants, and at the end of the night, he was supposed to give out the first impression rose to the woman who’d made the best first impression. That particular rose went to Cheryl, who made quite an impression on both the Bachelor and on Toni. The other contestants were nice enough, but most of them seemed horrendously dull. Cheryl was fascinating and, in her haste to get to know her, Toni secured her spot as her roommate.

          Though the mansion was indeed large, each of the contestants had to share a bedroom. They would go from 29 girls to 21 in the first elimination ceremony and during each weekly elimination, the Bachelor would cut a couple of girls, narrowing down the pool of contestants over ten weeks until he gave out the final rose to the woman he would propose to. Toni came here hoping to find love but also out of genuine desire to experience something new. Regardless of whether she won or not, she knew she’d have an unforgettable experience.

Standing alongside her new friend, Toni waited for the Bachelor to call the names of the girls he was keeping. Having the first rose meant that Cheryl was safe. The next few roses went to Betty, Veronica and Josie respectively. Harrison called the names of a few more girls, and then, finally, Toni’s. She felt Cheryl grab her hand and squeeze it encouragingly. Letting out the breath she’d been holding, she reluctantly let go and moved forward to where the Bachelor stood with a single rose in his extended hand.

“Toni, will you accept this rose?” Harrison asked, his eyes twinkling as the set lights hit them. She nodded, taking the rose and returning to her place.

          Amongst those being eliminated was an older woman, Geraldine, who had seemed awfully creepy, and another girl who had thrown up on herself due to drinking too much. Ethel was the last person eliminated, and Toni met her eyes for a second before giving her an apologetic smile.

          The eight competitors grabbed their bags and left, leaving twenty-one women remaining to vie for Harrison’s affections. She’d sleep well tonight knowing she was safe and would worry about making a plan to stick around tomorrow. She and Cheryl went to their room and got changed—the redhead into a slinky red silk nightgown and Toni into an old tee and plaid shorts. Despite the similarities they’d discovered, it was quite clear that the two of them couldn’t be more different.

           Getting the first impression rose meant that Cheryl would have the first one-on-one date, something that the redhead seemed almost unnerved by. She didn’t seem to expect that outcome and though she’d been calm & collected earlier in the night, once they were settled into their rooms, it became clear to Toni that her roommate was losing her shit.

“…I haven’t dated much. It’s great that he’s interested, but what if I can’t _keep_ him interested?” Cheryl whispered, glancing at Toni from her bed.

“Are you kidding? Have you seen yourself? You are a cherry bomb, Cheryl. He’d have to be a moron not to be interested.” She assured her, before kicking herself for coming on too strong. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice and just assume she was being nice.

“You think?”

How a woman like Cheryl could really be that uncertain about her own sex appeal was astounding to her. The confidence she’d projected all night had been nothing but a façade, and that made Toni all the more interested…. “I know. Just be your charming self. You got the date for a reason. Half of the girls here are less interesting than watching paint dry. You’ll be fine.”

 Cheryl snorted, her face brightening up a little from the pep talk her roommate had given her. “You’re not wrong,” she paused, her voice growing softer as she asked, “Will you help me pick an outfit for the date tomorrow?” Toni wasn’t really a girly girl or a fashion guru by any means, but she quickly agreed. She’d sound like a dick if she said no. As Cheryl hummed in a pleased tone, she pulled a red sleep mask over her eyes and bid Toni a quiet goodnight.

“Night,” she echoed back, catching a glimpse of milky white skin as one of Cheryl’s legs peeked out from under the covers. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to roll onto her left side, facing away from the other woman. If this was any indication, her stint on the Bachelor just became a whole hell of a lot more complicated.

           They were woken up in the middle of the night by an argument that two girls down the hall were having. Bleary-eyed, Toni emerged from bed to tiptoe down the hall, following the sound of booming female voices. She didn’t recognize either of them, but that didn’t matter right now. Things had just become physical and the others in the house were just staring dumfounded by the whole thing. Toni grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. This was not the first physical fight she’d seen. Stepping forward, she forced the girls apart. Apparently, the two of them had been sharing a room and gotten into a dumb squabble that had escalated.

“You, find another roommate.” Toni declared sternly to one of the two, before looking over the other to be sure there were no visible marks on her body. “What are you all looking at? It’s over. Go to bed.” She commanded, causing the rest of the girls to scramble back down the hallway. After a brief conversation with the offending girl, Toni returned to her room to find Cheryl in her bed.

“That was impressive.” The redhead stated with a grin.

“That was nothing. Neither of them even had a switchblade.” She smirked.

“I hate to ask this, but…a lot of the girls are upset I was chosen for the first one on one. Do you think you could have my back? They’re probably going to be talking shit about me while I’m gone.” Cheryl’s voice wavered as she spoke, and Toni was a sucker. How could she say no to that?

“I got you, babe.”


	2. Week Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A producer confronts Toni about her bisexuality and her belief that she has feelings for Cheryl. Then, lots of confusion happens for everybody.

            The corners of Toni’s lips turned upward as she watched Cheryl do a twirl in her dress. Her nervous energy was palpable, and this was the first smile she’d seen this morning. It was funny how Cheryl put up her walls around everyone else, but when it was just the two of them, Toni could see the real girl behind it all. _That_ was the girl she liked the most.

“You look beautiful,” she admitted breathlessly, her gaze lingering a little too long when she saw Cheryl shimmying out of the dress. She knew she should politely look away, but Cheryl was in her bra and panties and she was only human.

"It’s fine, but it’s not perfect. I want to pop on screen.”

         She was beginning to see that Cheryl was a perfectionist, and while there was nothing wrong with that, it would bring her a lot of undue stress in life. Toni rose to her feet and locked onto Cheryl’s gaze as she stepped toward her. “ **You’re** perfect. But… you don’t _see_ that, do you?” She whispered, her hands finding the other woman’s hips. Her heart raced as she realized how close she was to Cheryl, so close she was able to feel her breath against her cheek. “You’re too good for all of this.” _Too good for me_ , Toni wanted to say. As Cheryl leaned in, her red lips were inches away, almost daring Toni to kiss them. Like the serpent in the garden, she was tempting her. Toni had always gone for everything she wanted and right now, she wanted Cheryl. But before she could close the distance, someone cleared their throat in the doorway. It was one of the producers, clearly recognizing that she was interrupting a moment. Toni pulled away as if she’d been burned, conflicting shame and desire flashing over her features.

“We’re filming some B-roll interviews. Toni, you’re up.” The producer stated, giving the two of them a knowing look. Toni nodded, encouraging Cheryl to put back on the dress she’d removed before following the producer into another room. “You were the bi one, right?” The producer asked with interest when they sat down together. The camera was in her face, making her feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t like she wasn’t open about who she was in life, but being open here seemed almost dangerous, like she was inviting controversy. Her chest tightened as she wrestled with what to say before remembering her promise-— she was here to be herself.

“Yes. I’m bisexual,” her confident tone earned a smile.

The producer leaned forward. “It seems like you’re really hitting it off with your roommate. When I went to grab you, it looked like I was interrupting something.”

Fuck. She’d heard about this. She was being produced. If she stirred up this drama, she’d end up being sent home, and Cheryl, too. Toni frowned.

“What you interrupted was me pulling an eyelash off of Cheryl’s cheek. That’s all. I get that you think you’re being clever, making up drama where there isn’t any…but that shit isn’t going to fly with me. Yeah, I’m bi, but I’m here to date Harrison. End of story.” She knew she’d come off as overly defensive, and the producers would likely edit together some footage to make it look like something was going on with Cheryl. That wouldn’t be all too difficult to do.

          The redhead occupied her mind as she sat there, crossing her legs as the producer stared.  Toni felt like she was being tested and honestly, it pissed her off. She didn’t appreciate being antagonized just so they could get some interesting footage. Despite her anger, she couldn’t fly off the handle like she would in her normal life. She had to stay calm or the truth would be even more obvious. Whether or not something was happening with Cheryl, she would never put her in that position. When it became clear Toni wasn’t going to talk about it any further, the producer moved on, asking, “What do you think of Harrison so far?”

          The rest of the interview was meant to be her gushing about the Bachelor, so she did her best to comply even though her heart wasn’t in it. It wasn’t like he wasn’t a good guy, or he wasn’t attractive. She didn’t feel a connection with him, as they’d only spoken once, and her feelings for her roommate had caught her off guard. It was hard to maintain any interest in dating the Bachelor when she had feelings for someone else. When she returned to their bedroom, Cheryl was gone. She’d apparently already left for her one-on-one with Harrison. With a sigh, Toni made her way to the kitchen, intending to have some lunch. Some of the other contestants were standing around the kitchen island, talking. She couldn’t help but hear them as she moved toward the well-stocked refrigerator.

“You do know who her family is, right? The Blossoms? I heard they’re all crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s nuts, too.” One of the girls, who she thought was named Midge, was talking loudly. “Her brother was literally murdered, and there was all of this stuff about how close they were. Like _, incest vibes_ , you guys. And you’ll never guess who killed him.”

“Who?” Betty asked, eyes wide.

“Her dad.”

          Toni slammed a plate down on the counter, causing the group of women to look up.

“You’re talking about Cheryl, aren’t you?” Her voice was strangely calm, and the other contestants looked uncomfortable. None of them said anything for several moments before Veronica admitted that it had been Cheryl they were discussing. “Well, don’t. Where did you even hear that stuff about her family? Wait, let me guess. A producer?”

          Midge’s face went pale and she nodded, clearly afraid that Toni was going to start a fight with her. Had she not been on camera, she might have. She was protective of the people she cared about and Cheryl was someone she cared about more deeply than she’d let on to any of these girls.

“You know what producers do on reality shows? They produce drama. And you fell for it.” Toni clenched her jaw, attempting to control her anger. “I want you to listen good. You keep Cheryl’s name out of your mouth. Got it?” Cue the distressed nodding. “Good.”

          After making her sandwich and stepping out of the kitchen, she heard the girls whispering. “Did you hear her? I’m pretty sure she’s obsessed with Cheryl. She’s literally been following her around like a lost puppy ever since the first night. Someone should tell Harrison that she’s a lesbian, so he can cut her loose.” Ignoring them, Toni rolled her eyes, going to the bedroom where she could get a moment of peace. She could still feel the anger blazing in her chest as she wondered which producer had fed Midge that bullshit. She didn’t know whether it was true or not, but it didn’t matter to her either way. How dare they slander her name?

          She’d finally calmed down late that evening when Cheryl returned to the mansion. As much as it bothered her to hear about it, she asked how her date had gone. The two of them had gone to a carnival and had even shared a kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel. It seemed that the redhead was genuinely excited about her growing connection with the Bachelor and given her good mood, Toni decided not to mention the drama in the house while she was gone. That night, another one-on-one was announced via date card. This time it would be Veronica, the girl who’d made out with Betty in the jacuzzi.

“Do you think she’s bisexual?” Cheryl whispered as Betty and Veronica hugged each other in celebration. They were supposed to be competing but they were awfully chummy, not unlike how Toni was with Cheryl.

Toni could feel her stomach drop. This wasn’t a conversation she felt prepared to have right now. “Oh, I don’t know.” No. She was the only bisexual girl here, as far as she knew. “I think the kissing Betty thing was for attention.”

“They seem….close.”

“Does it matter?” Toni asked after a moment.

“Yes, it matters. They’re here to date the Bachelor, not each other. If they’re not serious about him, they shouldn’t be here.”

           Ouch. That hit a little close to home. She sounded so self-righteous and altogether unaware that Toni was in the same boat.

She bit the inside of her cheek. “No, you’re right. Totally right.” Toni needed to get her shit together before she fucked everything up. Clearly, she’d been building all of this up in her head when there was nothing to it. She needed to put some distance between herself and Cheryl or this was only going to get worse.

          It wasn’t easy to do, but Toni spent most of the next day avoiding her only friend in the house. She was trying to sort out her feelings and remind herself why she was really here. There wasn’t much to do at the mansion, as Veronica was off on the second one-on-one, leaving the rest of the women at home. No television, no phones, and no access to reading material or a vehicle to go somewhere meant there wasn’t much to do. She ended up letting some girl paint her nails and then taking a nap. All in all, a boring day. When she returned to her room for the night, she found Cheryl curled up in her bed, rather than her own. _Fuck,_ she cursed, not expecting to find the girl she’d spent the entire day avoiding asleep in her bed. Observing her for a few seconds, Toni decided to lean over and touch her gently. The other woman woke immediately and swatted at her drowsily, clearly taken aback by being touched and feeling the need to defend herself .

“Sorry. I just, you’re in my bed.” Toni was apologetic, noticing this wasn’t the first time that Cheryl reacted ostensibly to being touched. Was there something to that? Did it have something to do with her apparently screwed up family?

Cheryl sat up, stretching slowly before responding. “I know. I was waiting up for you and I fell asleep. Where were you all day…?”

“What, did you miss me or something?” She couldn’t help but tease, even though she was supposed to be keeping her distance.

          The other woman’s face fell a little. It seemed there was some truth to the question she’d asked in jest. Cheryl immediately became defensive. “No. It’s just weird you haven’t been around. This place isn’t that big.” She climbed out from under the covers and moved toward her own bed. Seeing her put her guard up hurt. Toni wondered why she was reacting the way she was, but the only explanation was something she didn’t want to face—Cheryl was having just as difficult a time keeping a distance as she was.

“Okay, so maybe I was avoiding you.”

“Why?” Her nose wrinkled, a hurt look in her eyes.

 Toni felt like a dog. No, worse than that. “Remember how we were talking before, about Betty and Veronica?”

Cheryl gave her a quizzical glance. “Uh, yeah?”

“I didn’t tell you then because I didn’t know how you’d react.” This wasn’t the first time Toni had come out to someone, but every time was nerve-wracking as fuck, even more so when it was someone she had an interest in. “I’m bisexual.”

“Ohhhhh.” She put up a hand as if to wave it away. “Is _that_ all?”

“That’s all. Well, that and the moment we had… when the producer interrupted us…?”

“You mean when you almost kissed me.”

“Yeah. That.”

“It’s okay. Things don’t have to be weird. You’re not the first girl to be into me, Toni. It’s flattering.” Cheryl shrugged her shoulders and moved to sit back down at the edge of the bed.

          Toni couldn’t figure her out. She was acting open-minded and unoffended, but at the same time, she didn’t really seem interested either. It didn’t track with her previous behavior. Was Cheryl just confused? She didn’t know how to broach the topic without being rude, but she wanted to know. She swallowed the lump in her throat and scooted closer to the redhead.

“What would’ve happened if I’d kissed you?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. It wasn’t like her to be uncertain, but all of this was making her feel insecure.

          Instead of answering the question, Cheryl leaned in close, just as she had been before. Not saying a word, she stared at her expectantly. Unable to hold herself back any longer, Toni launched forward and (finally) brought their lips together, melting against the other woman as she felt her return the kiss with fervor. Her fingers slid into red locks and she moaned softly, the erotic sound mostly muffled by Cheryl’s mouth. They carried on like this for a few minutes, kissing feverishly before Toni pulled back, her cheeks flushed as she pushed Cheryl’s hair behind her ear. Even though she was feeling warm and excited about the kisses they'd shared, she couldn’t help but think about how Cheryl had kissed Harrison earlier that night. She pushed the thought away as she looked into dark, soulful eyes.

“I’m in trouble,” Toni admitted.

“What?”

“I _like_ you.”

“I can tell,” Cheryl nudged her, finding her hand and playing with it quietly. “Your nails are red.” She pointed out. “Looks good on you.”

“Thanks. Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” She blurted out the question before realizing how it would sound. Sputtering, she corrected herself. “Not, like, sex, but.. in my bed. Do you want to sleep in my bed with me?”

“Yes, but – _I_ get to be the little spoon.”

Toni grinned like an idiot. “Deal.”

As Cheryl moved to lay down, she couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. She liked this girl more than she’d liked anyone in a long time. Clambering to lay next to her, she pulled her arms around her and nuzzled into the back of her neck. Placing a gentle kiss there, she whispered. “Sweet dreams.”

           The next several days passed without incident. Toni went on a large group date with fourteen other girls and she had a good time, joking around with Harrison and bonding with him. She couldn’t help but see him as a friend and on some level, a competitor—for Cheryl. All of these conflicting feelings had her confused and while she considered admitting how she felt to him, she wasn’t ready to be sent home. She really was building a connection here. The fact that it was with the ‘wrong’ person didn’t make it any less real. And so, she decided to fake it, finding she was better at lying than she expected to be.

          The night after the group date was the cocktail party, which was essentially an excuse for everyone to get drunk and for the producers to swoop in and cause drama. Unfortunately, the target of that drama was once again Cheryl. Apparently, she had one of the best connections with Harrison, which made Toni jealous, but also made the other girls jealous (for a different reason). They had been talking shit about her all night and while Toni had been trying to distract her from hearing it, she could only do so much. She overheard one of the girls whose volume apparently increased the more she drank and became visibly upset by what she heard. Cheryl was not the type to take things lying down, so the moment she realized that Midge was talking about her brother, she confronted her.

“So, her brother Jason was apparently—”

          Her sentence died the moment she saw Cheryl standing there and her face went even whiter than when Toni had told her off before. While she considered stepping in, it was clear that Cheryl was in control of the situation. She listened instead, impressed with the other woman’s fortitude and strength.

“Why are you talking about my brother?” Her voice was sharp.

Midge gestured to the female producer who was standing just off camera, stammering as she tried to explain. “I-she said that—I heard that your brother was, um, killed. Is that true?”

“It is. But it isn’t your business. At all.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just…”

“You were just? What? Being a gossipy bitch?”

“I—”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through. You have no right to talk about my life. Not you, not her,” she glared at the producer who’d divulged her personal details to the other contestant. Cheryl blinked back tears, taking a shaky breath. “It’s not something I advertise. There is a reason my family isn’t part of my life. After Jason died, everything changed, and it took me a long time to feel okay again. Do you have a twin? Do you know how it feels? How empty you feel to have the other half of you ripped away?” She’d started crying and Toni’s hand gingerly touched her shoulder. “I didn’t think so.” She turned away, allowing Toni to escort her to the other side of the room. Once they were out of earshot and out of view of the camera, Toni brushed Cheryl’s tears away with her thumbs.

“Cheryl, I’m sorry, I heard them talking about that before and I thought I shut it down. I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I can talk to them again if you want. More forcefully this time.” Toni offered with a sympathetic smile.

“No. I can take care of myself,” she insisted, pulling away from Toni’s touch. “Tell Harrison I wasn’t feeling well, and I went to bed.”

          Going against all of her instincts, Toni didn’t follow Cheryl as she left the cocktail party. Her gaze settled onto her retreating back and she sighed. She wanted to comfort her, but she didn’t want to smother her, and she was beginning to think that’s what she’d been doing since the first night. The other girls’ words had gotten into her head and Cheryl pulling away only made it seem even more obvious. Toni had a tendency to get too invested in someone and if she continued on like this, she was going to make a complete fool of herself on national television. What she didn’t know was that there were cameras in every room of the mansion, with the exception of the bathroom, so all of their ‘private’ interactions weren’t that private after all.

          Feeling sorry for herself and more than a little tipsy, Toni had a private conversation with Harrison that night. Cheryl was already in bed and she was trying to figure out how to get over her. She remembered that saying that the best way to get over somebody was to get under somebody else and while she wouldn’t go that far, she decided that the best plan would be to make out with Harrison. The most surprising thing? It wasn’t horrible. Maybe it was the booze, but she ended up liking it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was not expecting such a warm response to this story. I am super thankful for all of you. Please keep leaving comments, especially about things you might want to see. I might use some of your ideas in the story ;)


	3. Week Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cheryl decides they should keep their distance, Toni finds it harder than she anticipated...and Cheryl does, too.

            The previous night had been a whirlwind of emotions and that morning, Toni woke feeling absolutely terrible. It wasn’t just the hangover, though that was a large part of it—she’d been up half the night puking her guts up. The worst part was knowing that Cheryl saw her…and didn’t do anything to help. She didn’t understand the sudden shift, why the walls went up & she’d begun to treat her just like any other girl in the house. Three contestants were to be eliminated today and Toni had no idea how things were going to go. She could be leaving tonight and if she did, she didn’t want to leave things like this. Pulling on her jeans, she glanced over at the empty bed and feeling an instant pang in her chest. Cheryl didn’t seem to want to be around her anymore and it made her feel like shit. The feeling only got worse when she noticed that Cheryl’s stuff was gone. Had she gone home, or had she just switched roommates?

            When she entered the kitchen, she saw a group of girls sitting together on stools at the island. They had been talking, but the moment she’d walked in, had become immediately silent. Toni rifled through the refrigerator and was glad to find the producers, who always encouraged drinking in the mansion, had been nice enough to put some Gatorade in—just what she needed to curb her hangover. Twisting the cap off of the red sports beverage, she took a swig before feeling several pairs of eyes on her. She hadn’t noticed before, but Cheryl was sitting there with the group. She’d never known her to hang out with them much and had gotten the indication before that she didn’t care to get to know them. Something had shifted. Unlike the others, who were staring, Cheryl wasn’t making any eye contact. Ignoring everyone but Cheryl, she approached her, quietly speaking to the redhead and hoping she wouldn’t be denied.

            “Cheryl, can we talk?” She knew how pathetic she sounded but she didn’t care. She needed to have this conversation for her own peace of mind.

            The silence was unbearable, and she was about to walk away in defeat when Cheryl finally stood up, giving Toni a sober nod. Relieved and more than a little bit anxious, the shorter girl led them outside to the veranda, wanting to be sure the conversation was had out of earshot.

            “What’s going on?” Toni blurted out the moment they sat down across from one another. “Your stuff is gone. I thought you’d left the show.”

            “Nothing,” Cheryl shrugged, her face softening a bit as she seemed to feel guilty for treating Toni this way with no explanation. She thought she deserved to know what was happening inside of her head. “I just thought we needed some distance. Things have gotten really intense, and I’m confused. I – need space to sort through everything. A lot has gone down in the last few days and I haven’t processed all of it yet.”

            That made sense, but she wasn’t completely satisfied. With a sigh, she leaned her elbows onto the table. “Can we talk about last night?”

            “You got really trashed.” Cheryl reminded her disapprovingly.

            “Yeah, because I was upset. I was trying to comfort you, when Midge stirred up all that shit about your brother. You pushed me away.”

            “Toni.”

            “What?”

            “No offense, but I’ve known you for a week. It takes longer than that to earn my trust. Like I said, things have gotten intense. Being with you all the time is just too much for me.” As Cheryl began giving the explanation, she could see the hurt look on Toni’s face. She back-tracked somewhat, clarifying what she meant. “I’m not saying I want to stop hanging out with you, but I don’t think we should be sharing a room. You and me, alone in a bedroom with the chemistry we have, it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s only a matter of time before one of us gives in to temptation. There are cameras everywhere and people are starting to notice that something’s going on between us. I can’t be anything but your friend right now, I’m sorry.”

            Trying to sort through everything she’d just said, she tried to figure out what could’ve spooked her like this. “That producer, she said something to you? I told her nothing happened…”

            Cheryl laughed mirthfully. “The camera doesn’t lie, Toni. They have cameras in our rooms. They’ve seen everything. I like you, you know I do. You’re sweet and you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, but—I don’t want to be that girl. I’m not that girl. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

            “Right, yeah. I didn’t…do they have cameras everywhere?” Toni couldn’t help but feel naïve for believing that the bedrooms were a sacred space where they could go and not be filmed. While they hadn’t outright lied to her, she still felt violated. They’d certainly done a good job of concealing the cameras in the room because she hadn’t even noticed them.

            “Everywhere but the bathroom and fantasy suite. Have you not watched this show before?”

            “Honestly, no. It’s not my thing.” Toni confessed, lifting her head and meeting Cheryl’s gaze. “I’m starting to question why I’m even here and I’m wondering, if you knew about the cameras, why did you let me kiss you?”

            “I was caught up in the moment.”

            That seemed like a copout, but… “Okay.”

            “Please don’t get drunk because of me. I’m not worth it.” Cheryl pleaded with her and Toni found that the words made her sad. Maybe she didn’t mean it like that, but she was essentially putting herself down. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard her say negative things about herself either. She wondered if anyone had ever told her how incredible she was.

            Hesitating for a moment, she asked the question that had been weighing on her mind the most. “Do you think I should leave? Do you want me to leave?”

            “No. I don’t. I told you, I still want to hang out with you.”

            “But you _don’t_ want to kiss me.” Toni murmured quietly.

            “I didn’t say that.”

            “I don’t understand.” This was so fucking confusing. Was Cheryl just some confused straight girl who was thriving on the attention but would ultimately break her heart? That had happened to her before and she wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.

            The redhead let out a sigh, before declaring in exasperation: “I **do** want to kiss you, that’s the problem, I—you’re messing with my focus. I am here to win this show. I need this, for reasons you don’t even know. I can’t let…whatever this is…get in the way.”

            “What if he’s not meant for you? What if I am?”

            “Toni. Please. I can’t.”

            “Why?”

            Cheryl shook her head, leaning in close to whisper back. “Come to the bathroom. I’ll explain.” Toni had pushed her enough to at least get an explanation that made sense. In the bathroom, they wouldn’t be on camera, so she could speak freely. Nodding, she watched Cheryl walk back inside. Waiting a couple of minutes, she went back into the house and met her in the bathroom, smiling as she closed the door. Truthfully, she was hoping they were going to kiss again, but Cheryl seemed serious about wanting to talk because she launched right into it.

            “Like I said last night, I’ve been through some things. When I was in junior high, I had this friend, Heather. We spent so much time together. We had sleepovers all the time. We would stay up all night talking, cuddling, and…I fell in love with her. I’d never felt that way before and I was scared, but she told me she liked me, and we kissed. I was happier than I’ve ever been, and it lasted for like five seconds before everything was ruined.” Her voice wavered as she told the story, clearly still emotional about what had taken place.

“What happened?” Toni asked, encouraging her to continue.

“My mother walked in on us and she freaked out. She made me cut Heather out of my life and sent me to this…place. She thought I needed to be fixed. It didn’t fix anything. It just made me feel like what I was feeling was wrong. Like I was a monster. Unworthy of being loved. So, when I finally got to go home, I promised her everything was back to normal. And it has been. I’ve liked other girls, but I haven’t acted on it. Not until the other night with you. Toni, it scares the hell out of me. I’m not ready for this.”

            It was a lot to unpack. Toni was silent for a while, processing the fact that she’d been sent to one of those conversion therapy places. No wonder Cheryl had trust issues. Suddenly, all of this made sense. They were adults now, in their early twenties, and she hoped that Cheryl’s mother didn’t have the same hold over her now than she did when she was younger.

“You aren’t a kid anymore. You can be who you are now.”

            That was when she got really upset. “You’re not listening to me. I said that I’m not ready for this. That means, I need you to back off. Please.” She couldn’t be more clear.

            “I hear you. Okay. I’ll back off. I’m sorry, I didn’t think about all of this. I’ve been out since like, high school, but I don’t really have family like you do. I can’t imagine what that’s been like. I didn’t mean to push you.” Running a hand through her hair, she took a deep breath, figuring she owed Cheryl the truth about how she felt, too. “I want to stay, but I’ll be honest, I don’t feel anything with Harrison. I made out with him last night and it was nice, I enjoyed it, but it was just fun. It didn’t have any emotions connected to it. Not like when I kissed you. So, I _am_ backing off, I swear I am. I’m going to try my hardest not to flirt with you and I won’t kiss you or anything, but I want you to know that you are the only reason I’m still here and the only reason I’m fighting to stay.”

            Despite her confusion about everything and the conflict she apparently felt, Cheryl smiled at her admission. “That’s fine,” she murmured, “Thank you for being honest. I haven’t felt anything with him yet, either, but we haven’t had that much time together. That might change. I need you to be prepared for that. That I might choose him, and he might choose me.”

            “No, I get that. Have you ever…felt anything for a guy before?”

            Cheryl shook her head. “Not yet. But that doesn’t mean I can’t, right?”

            “Right. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Whether you’re bi, like me, or you’re a lesbian, or pansexual, fluid, whatever... you are valid. Don’t forget that.” She hadn’t mentioned that Cheryl might be straight. At this point, it didn’t seem possible given that she’d had feelings for other girls before her.

            “Thanks.” She started to get up when Toni interrupted her.

            “I just want to say one more thing.”

            “What?”

            “Your mom was full of shit. You are worthy of being loved. I don’t know your mother, I don’t know what her damage is, but I do know you. I can see you. The real you. You are a sensational woman, and you _are_ going to find someone who loves you the way you deserve.” _I really hope it’s me_ , she mentally stated to herself, reaching for Cheryl’s hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. “Thank you for opening up to me. I feel better, knowing what’s going on in your head. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

            “I feel better, too. We should get back out there, though. Who knows what they think is going on in here.” They laughed, moving toward the door. Cheryl looked her up and down appreciatively. “I like the jeans and flannel, by the way.”   

            “I couldn’t do the dresses anymore.”

            “Even though the elimination’s tonight?”

            “I’m just gonna be me.”

            Cheryl nudged Toni as they walked out of the door together, and maybe it wasn’t intentional, but the movement seemed flirtatious. It made her blush deeply, turning her head away so that Cheryl wouldn’t notice. It sounded like based on their conversation, that she wasn’t fully saying no to the possibility of them being together in the future. That gave her hope, which was what she needed to stick around. She’d pretty much given up on things with Harrison. She couldn’t force things and it wasn’t likely her feelings for him were going to change. The problem was that Toni had to make a decision, whether she should pretend to be into him or be honest with him. Pretending seemed like an awful thing to do to someone, but at the same time, if she told him she didn’t feel anything, or worse, admitted she felt something for Cheryl, it would likely mean being sent home. Why would he keep around a girl he had no chance with? She had a lot of thinking to do, and if Harrison didn’t send her or Cheryl home in tonight’s elimination, that would give her another week to try to make a decision.

            As the evening wore on, her hangover eventually faded and she swore to herself she was not going to get trashed again. Toni only hoped she hadn’t said or done anything too terrible on camera. It must not have been that bad because at the elimination ceremony, Harrison picked her first. That indicated he was interested and while she was happy to stay another week, it also made her concerned. Accepting the rose, she took her place back with the others and waited for the rest of the names to be called. She held her breath until she heard Cheryl’s name, relieved to find that she, too, was staying. Midge was eliminated along with two other girls she hadn’t gotten to know very well. When she glanced over at Cheryl, she looked about as relieved as she was that Midge was going home. Shooting her a grin, she dropped her gaze down to the floor and reminded herself to stay cool. The three eliminated girls said their tearful goodbyes and left the remaining eighteen in the competition. Toni was thinking about how weird it must be for Harrison to be dating all of these girls but also how awesome it would be. She knew that they did the Bachelorette, too, but having a bisexual Bachelorette with female and male contestants was probably never going to happen. This was the closest she was going to get to it, unless she was chosen for their annual summer program, Bachelor in Paradise, where former contestants would get another shot at love. It was hard to imagine her being interested in anyone but Cheryl right now. Yes, it had only been a week, but it had been a long time since she’d even found anyone she was interested in getting to know romantically. Having to take a step back was hard but respecting Cheryl’s wishes was key. She could be patient and hope she’d make the right decision.

            As she settled into bed that night, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly alone. She no longer had a roommate, as there were enough rooms now for some of the contestants to room by themselves. She missed having Cheryl there to decompress at the end of the day and her bed felt empty without the redhead’s body curled against her. With a sigh, she rolled over, looking across the hall and catching a glimpse of Cheryl in bed. She’d apparently not moved that far. While it wasn’t the same as having her here, it was a relief. Toni slept decently that night, at least better than she had the night before.

            The start of the next week meant more dates. They were going to be split into two groups for group dates, and the winner of each of the group dates would get a one-on-one. She hadn’t made up her mind yet about being honest, but she didn’t want to have to lay it on thick. Toni had to make sure she did okay enough to skate through, yet not well enough that she’d win the date. When she heard the plan for their group date, she knew that wouldn’t be hard for her to do. Karaoke would be endlessly entertaining for the viewers, but absolutely humiliating for her and likely the other girls. She wasn’t the worst singer in the world, thankfully, but Toni was not comfortable with singing in front of people in general, let alone on camera. Bracing herself, she began to consider what song she would perform.

            The first performance was a duet by none other than Betty and Veronica. It was pretty smart, actually, because they chose the Brandy and Monica classic _The Boy is Mine_. The song was tailor made for this situation and with their chemistry, it was a genuinely entertaining performance. Toni was shocked to find that both of them could sing. Her shock didn’t last long because she was pulled up on stage next and she felt more like throwing up than she did when she was hungover. Whispering into the host’s ear, she waited a moment and the opening riff for the Runaways song, _Cherry Bomb_ , began. Toni clutched the microphone and began to sing, trying her best to ignore the pounding of her heart. She’d chosen the song for a few reasons—it was one of the only songs she sounded decent singing, but also because the song reminded her of Cheryl a little. It was a subtle shout out to her and the whole red aesthetic she had going on. Toni was surprised to find she got really into the performance, even moving around on the stage a little. Despite the fun she had, she was glad when the song was finished. As the redhead took the stage, she caught a small grin. She seemed to get that the song was for her.

            It made perfect sense to her that Cheryl would pick a recent popular song to sing. Singing _God is a Woman_  meant people would be more interested in watching her and would likely get more social media buzz. She, too, was a good singer—maybe better than Betty & Veronica were, but Toni could’ve very well been biased. She was confident and commanding of the stage, hitting the notes so flawlessly you would’ve thought she was a musician by trade. As much as she enjoyed her performance, however, Josie was about to blow them all out of the water. She was literally a musician and probably classically trained and even though she didn’t pick a song that had vocal gymnastics like Cheryl had, she actually had choreography to go with it. And her choice was brilliant – _Milkshake_ on live television? Harrison was practically drooling watching her and hell, so was Toni. When she won the date rose, no one was surprised.

            As Harrison and Josie left for their date, Cheryl pulled Toni off to the side, her fingers twisting her flannel shirt into knots as she grinned.

            “ _Cherry Bomb?_ I thought you said you weren’t going to flirt? So unfair.”

            Toni smirked wickedly. “It’s not my fault you find me irresistible.”

            Cheryl’s thumb swiped across the bottom button on Toni’s shirt and she sighed, rolling her eyes at her. "When I'm with you, I forget how scared I'm supposed to be.." She confessed as she held Toni's gaze intensely. The two of them had more chemistry than either of them had with Harrison and it seemed that Cheryl was starting to recognize that. She knew that making that jump was a huge risk, so she would be respectful and not push her into anything, but she also wouldn’t let her forget what a good connection they already had. As far as Toni was concerned, if things were this easy and this genuine early on, it was a sign of beautiful things to come. She was expecting to give herself a week to make the decision, but as she stood there with Cheryl’s fingers wrapped in her shirt, she knew she had to do whatever it took to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing left to say except I love you all so much for your support.


	4. Week Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a group date, Veronica proposes she and Toni form an alliance with one goal--ensuring Cheryl doesn't end up with Harrison.

            Upon looking at her, one would not expect that Cheryl Blossom was exceptionally skilled at archery. It wasn’t a talent that she advertised, and it certainly wasn’t something that could’ve been predicted. Toni and Harrison as well as all of the others were completely unaware of her abilities. Perhaps the producers, who went over the casting tapes and helped plan the dates, knew that archery was one of Cheryl’s hobbies. It was true that during group dates, Harrison would often participate in events that were fun and relevant to his own interests, but he wasn’t the one who chose what they would do. Though archery was something he’d been into since he was a teenager, he had never expected it to be brought up on a date.

It seemed like a pretty big coincidence that he and Cheryl had that in common—at least that was what the others would come to believe. When the twelve girls chosen for the group date discovered the date was another competition, they were all on edge. Competitions were fierce and the desire to win outweighed everything else. The problem was that Cheryl was the only one of them who had any experience with archery. Veronica, Toni, Josie, Valerie and the rest of the girls didn’t have a fighting chance against her and some would deem her advantage unfair. Cheryl was feeling pretty good about the competition when she heard what they’d be doing. Pulling Toni off to the side, she grinned, pleased that she had an advantage in the challenge, especially after she’d been (narrowly, in her opinion) beaten by Josie in the karaoke competition.

            “I’m really good at archery…” Cheryl gushed, her happiness rubbing off on Toni, who had never even held a bow before. She had always associated archery with hunting and hadn’t really considered people doing it as a sport. Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Archery was apparently akin to a sport like golf or croquet that rich people played. Cheryl, having grown up in a rich family, had the ability to participate in enriching activities and gain new skills. While Cheryl was practicing archery, Toni was working a part time job. She didn’t really have hobbies, except maybe for photography. It hadn’t been until recently she could even afford a decent camera and though she tried not to let the realities of their differing lives get to her, it was hard not to feel insecure about it. The more Cheryl got to know her, the more she’d realize how startlingly different their backgrounds were. All that the small-town girl could hope was that what she discovered wouldn’t change her mind about her.

            Ignoring all of her inner turmoil, Toni smiled back nervously. “I’ve never tried it. Do you think you could give me some pointers?”

            Even though she’d never shot a bow, she figured she was a lost cause and that she’d be bad at it. From the looks on the other competitor’s faces, they had no experience at this either, so at least she wouldn’t be the only one making an idiot of themselves. Thankfully, the twelve of them were given time to familiarize themselves with the bows and an instructor taught them the basics. Toni wasn’t really that concerned about doing well but knew that asking for her help would be a good excuse to spend time with Cheryl—and she was always down for that. As the taller girl leaned in behind her and repositioned her stance, she could feel her cheeks grow warm. Apparently, she hadn’t had the correct form, and she was holding the bow too close to her face. Once she was in the right position, Cheryl encouraged her to make the shot. Her hand shook a little as she let go, gaze following the arrow as it shot forward. She practically fell over when she saw where the arrow had ended up. Her very first attempt at using the bow and she actually got a bull’s eye! Cheryl seemed excited by what she’d done, but Toni had a hard time believing it had anything to do with having some latent ability.

            “…beginner’s luck.” Toni muttered quietly, figuring she wouldn’t be as lucky the second time around. She didn’t get another bull’s eye on the next shot, but she got pretty damn close.

Ignoring her negativity, Cheryl looked genuinely impressed. “You’re a natural,” she purred into her ear, making goosebumps rise to the surface all along Toni’s arms.

Once she’d had her quick lesson with Cheryl, the redhead grabbed her own bow and began to practice. She tried not to watch too closely, but it was insanely impressive how good she was. As her attention was diverted, Toni didn’t realize that Harrison had snuck up behind her, putting his hands on her waist, startling her. Flinching, she turned around, ready to lay the smack down on whoever dared to touch her before realizing who it had been. Slapping him on television probably wouldn’t have looked too good for her so she just laughed, apologizing for being jumpy.

“It’s good to see you being yourself, Toni.” When he noted her confused expression, he laughed before gesturing to her clothing. “You look a lot more comfortable in this than the dresses. More beautiful, too.” Harrison held her gaze for several moments and it was clear from the way he looked at her that he meant what he said. The two of them had made out the other night but she thought it had been a bit of fun. Now, it seemed like the Bachelor had caught a case of the feels. Fuck.

Toni shrugged, seeming to him like she was playing it cool when really, she couldn’t be bothered. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She added the compliment because she didn’t want to sound completely rude, but truthfully, she didn’t know what to say to something like that. The only person she wanted seeing her that way wasn’t him. Being around him made her painfully aware of how uninterested she was in him. It wasn’t like anything was wrong with him. He was handsome and genuine, a good kisser. Toni loved being around him because of the kind of energy he put off but being with him reminded her of hanging out with the boys back home—Sweet Pea, Fangs and Jughead—the Serpents she’d never seen as anything more than friends (and family). In a way, hanging with Harrison felt like being home again, and when she was feeling as homesick as she was now, it was a feeling she craved. But it wasn’t love. It wasn’t even a crush and for that she felt guilty. If this had been a regular scenario, she would’ve been up front with him, told him “dude I’m just not into you,” but this was not a regular scenario. Saying something like that on a reality dating show seemed cruel, so she was just going to dance around the subject until she had the balls to admit how she really felt…or didn’t feel.

After practicing for half an hour or so, the contestants lined up to show off their skills. Some were better than others and some were pretty pathetically bad. Veronica fared the worst of them before stomping off in a huff. Surprising herself, Toni managed to get second place, and in first was Cheryl, who certainly deserved it. Ever since her first night in the house, the other contestants hadn’t liked Cheryl. It was likely because of her confidence and the impact she’d had on Harrison from the beginning, but she’d been a target all this time. Her winning the group date rose did not go over well, and Toni could hear several of the girls complaining about her, saying it was rigged, that she was probably guaranteed the win at the end of it all. They were just jealous and though she was sure that Cheryl probably dealt with that all the time, it still pissed Toni off. They were being sore losers as far as she was concerned.

Veronica, who was the most upset after her humiliating failure, walked up to Cheryl wearing something akin to a snarl. Like Cheryl, Veronica came from a prominent family. She was used to getting her own way and did not like to share the spotlight. With the amount of attention that she sought to receive, Toni was willing to bet she was probably an only child. Veronica was by far Cheryl’s biggest rival and she knew it. Before now, she’d mostly been talking about her behind her back, too scared to say anything to her face but it seemed like today she was finally going to explode.

Veronica was not happy, to say the least. “That was bullshit. You had to be cheating.” As she spoke, she wore her hands on her hips, the stance she took accusatory.

 “So, because I’m good at something and because you suck at it, that automatically means I was cheating?” Cheryl rolled her eyes. She was not intimidated by Veronica. Not one bit. Standing her ground, she stood there waiting for a response. It was glorious to watch.

Sputtering, Veronica looked bested. She was used to throwing down with other girls, but Cheryl could give just as good as she got, and that look of acidity Cheryl was shooting at her had Toni a little...aroused, honestly. She merely observed the two girls, knowing that she could handle herself and that she didn’t need to step in. Though they weren’t technically dating, she felt a bit like a proud girlfriend, smirking at the interaction.

Veronica’s hands had moved from her hips as she crossed her arms defensively across her chest. She was glaring at the redhead with everything she had.

“Everyone’s been saying you’re here for the wrong reasons. That you’re not here to find love. I bet you don’t even _like_ Harrison. You’re more into your little girlfriend here,” she gestured at Toni, who stepped forward and took a shaky breath. “So, what is it really about? Money? Exposure? Both?”

Not making a move, Toni looked to Cheryl, silently asking if she wanted her to step in. In response, she shook her head, indicating she had it under control. They made an interesting team—Cheryl was good at handling verbal altercations while Toni was much more physically capable. She might have been tiny, but she could kick some ass when she needed to. Right now, she wanted to. Out of all the girls, Veronica was the most infuriating and seeing her get in Cheryl’s face had her pretty irritated.

“What do you know about my reasons for being here? I’ve barely said five words to you the entire time,” Cheryl pointed out with a dark scoff. “It’s funny you’d talk about Toni and me though, because I seem to recall that you made out with Betty Draper on night one.”

“Her last name’s Cooper, not Draper.” Veronica corrected her pathetically.

Cocking her head to the side, Cheryl just looked at her for a second. “Oh, _I’m_ sorry. Did you miss the point? You’re a hypocrite. You’re all over that girl, 24/7. She’s supposed to be your competition. Like you said, you seem more into her than Harrison.”

Toni was grateful that Betty wasn’t on this group date. This would have been even more of a scene if she had because of what Veronica declared next.

“Okay, but she’s not _really_ my competition, is she? Everyone knows he’s not going to choose her. She’s sweet, but she’s basic.” That would play well on television, Toni thought, _way to make yourself look like a bitch, bitch._

“You’re right. Toni and I are your biggest competition.”

Biting back a grin, she hummed in agreement despite knowing how she truly felt about Harrison. Veronica didn’t need to know that what she was saying was true. It would only make things more volatile if she knew Toni really was into Cheryl and vice versa.

The brunette couldn’t manage a response. “Whatever,” she murmured.

“Wow. What a comeback.” Toni snorted, grabbing Cheryl by the arm and rolling her eyes. “Come on, _babe,_ she’s not worth our time.” She emphasized the word just to piss Veronica off more and from the look on her face, it seemed to work. Her bravado didn’t last long, however, because Harrison bopped right in and took Cheryl away. The jealousy she felt coursing through her veins as she watched them walk off together was unnerving. It took her a moment to even realize she was clenching her jaw.

Doing her best to keep a low profile, Toni observed the interaction between the Bachelor and her crush. Though she had gotten to know Cheryl pretty well so far, she’d yet to discern when she was being genuine with someone. It looked to her like she was flirting with him, but she couldn’t tell if it was an act or if she was genuinely into him. They were talking closely to one another and when Harrison leaned in to give Cheryl a kiss, Toni’s stomach turned. She wanted so badly to launch forward and wrench the two of them apart. Not being able to truly fight for what she wanted was getting harder each day. She didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to handle this. Turning her back, she walked back to the car, the first one to arrive and making it obvious she’d been running off. A few moments later and Veronica appeared, smirking knowingly at her.

“Mm, hurts, doesn’t it? Seeing the girl you like kissing someone else?”

“You don’t know what you’re—”

“Toni, sweetie, don’t even try to pretend like you didn’t just watch the two of them with the saddest look in the world on your face.” Veronica stated pointedly, raising a perfectly maintained eyebrow. “Stop being defensive and listen to me. You aren’t my competition. Actually, the truth is, we want the same thing. Neither of us want Cheryl to end up with Harrison. The way I see it is, the two of us should work together.”

            Her mouth went dry as she realized what the brunette was saying was true. The last thing she wanted was for Cheryl to win this competition and be with Harrison instead of her. As fucked up as it was, she and Veronica were on the same team. Would it be a betrayal to work with her to ensure that Cheryl didn’t win? Or would she just be ensuring the inevitable happened? If she and Veronica struck up an alliance, she wasn’t entirely sure that the truth wouldn’t get out, and if it did, whether or not Cheryl would forgive her for it. It would be selfish to mess things up if she really could end up falling for Harrison. But if Cheryl discovered she was indeed a lesbian, for instance, then it wouldn’t have been _that_ bad. Weighing her options in her head, Toni considered Veronica’s proposition before opening her mouth to respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is probably going to be a longer one-- Toni's first one-on-one with Harrison. I have a whole lot of crazy stuff planned so you won't want to miss it!


	5. Week Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni responds to Veronica's offer. Cheryl and Toni have their first date. Toni tries her best to be honest. An unexpected accident changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got long. Somehow I don't think any of you will mind. If you have a moment, please consider leaving a comment at the end of the chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

            “I’m gonna have to pass.” Toni declared solidly, having settled on the certainty that she would never do anything that could hurt Cheryl. From what she knew about her past, she could tell that trust didn’t come easy and she didn’t want to jeopardize that. If she ended up with Harrison at the end of this, then maybe they were meant to be together. Toni knew she wasn’t cutting Cheryl out of her life regardless of who she chose to be with. She was surprised by how easily the answer seemed to come. Even as she recognized the truth behind Veronica’s words, she knew what was right. The other woman didn’t seem to expect her answer though, blinking at her in disbelief.

            “You’re saying no? I don’t get it. I thought you liked her?”

            “I do. Which is why I’m saying no. If you thought I was going to go for that fucked up plan, you have a messed-up view on life, Veronica. I don’t lie to people I care about.” Well, with the exception of Harrison, but she intended to tell him the truth as soon as she could think of how to do so. Toni did care about him and she hoped he found love on this show, but she really hoped it was with anyone with Cheryl. If it was—she’d support them as well as she could.

            Climbing in to the limousine, she was grateful when Veronica chose to sit on the other end. As Cheryl took a seat next to her, Toni’s heart skipped a beat and she looked at her, knowing without a doubt she’d made the right decision. “Congratulations,” she whispered, figuring kind words were in order after winning the group date rose.

            “Thank you.” Cheryl’s hand swiped across her knee, giving it a squeeze. “I asked him if he was going to give you a rose tonight. I… told him you were my best friend. Here. He said yes. You know what this means, TT? We have at least another week together!”

            Though she was talking quietly, she could still be heard by the other girls. Whenever she was with Cheryl, it always felt like they were the only two people in the world, but it was hard to miss the looks of judgment from the others, especially the skin-melting glare from Veronica.

            “Hey, Cheryl, that was _awesome_ ,” Josie gushed, giving the first genuine compliment Toni had seen from anyone other than herself or Harrison. “Come on. I know I’m not the only one who’s impressed here. Her skills are legit.” Looking around the limo, she caught the gaze of a few other girls, who begrudgingly began to agree. Cheryl was smiling, basking in her words and grateful that for once, the attention she was receiving from the girls wasn’t negative.

            As she felt a chill in the air from the car’s air conditioner, Toni slipped on her leather jacket easily. It had always felt to her like a second skin and it also helped alleviate the homesickness she’d been going through this week. Leaning back against the seat, she glanced over when she felt some movement, only to discover that it was Cheryl slipping her hand casually into her pocket. Biting her lip, Toni looked away and slid her right hand into the same pocket. She intended to just give her hand a brief squeeze before pulling it back out, not wanting to be too flirtatious since she’d promised not to be. Just as she was about to do so, however, the redhead’s fingers slid into hers, the sensation causing her stomach to do somersaults. They were being subtle, but it would’ve been obvious to anyone who looked at them that they were holding hands. This was dangerous ground especially since the others seemed to have picked up on the chemistry they had, but right now Toni didn’t care about anything but how warm Cheryl’s hand felt against her own.

            When they arrived back at the Bachelor mansion, they joined the rest of the contestants who hadn’t gone on today’s group date. Tonight would be the cocktail party and tomorrow the elimination. Toni knew she should probably change into something more feminine but frankly, she’d stopped giving a fuck. Harrison seemed into it anyway, so not wearing a dress didn’t seem to equal being sent home. She opted to stay in today’s outfit and gleefully helped Cheryl choose an outfit for the party. Something seemed to have shifted in her favor today, if the hand-holding in the car was any indication. Toni had been told to keep her distance but now Cheryl seemed to be doing the opposite. It sounded like perhaps she was closer to making her decision.

            “Why are so many of your dresses red?” Toni laughed as she looked through her closet. She was pretty sure that she’d brought more clothes than anyone else here, except for maybe Veronica, who changed her outfit several times a day.

            She shrugged unapologetically. “I look good in red. Why mess with a good thing?” Hell, it was true. The color red was astounding against her pale skin and paired with the red lipstick and her natural red hair, she was the cherry bomb that Toni sang about the other day.

            Agreeing, Toni flipped through the dresses appreciatively, having seen several of them on her already. She had a difficult time believing she’d look bad in anything, though, and she pulled out a deep purple dress that had caught her eye. “Not knocking the red, but…damn. Why haven’t you worn this? You’ll look like _royalty_ in this dress.”

            “You like it?”

            “I like you in literally anything or nothing, if I’m being honest.” The shorter girl grinned wickedly, giving Cheryl a wink before her confidence faded upon being pulled forward by the bottom of her leather jacket. She’d managed to completely take Toni’s breath away and the way that she was looking at her right now was giving her chills.

            Cheryl’s thumb ran along the metal zipper and she held her gaze for several moments before she reached up to take the jacket off for Toni. Caught up in the moment, she was confused and aroused, allowing the other woman to make all of the moves and merely standing there in awe. It was not like her to be so affected by someone, but there was something about Cheryl that she couldn’t shake. Maybe she’d gotten too excited, because once her jacket was off, she made no move to take off her shirt. Instead she slipped the jacket onto her own shoulders and stood in front of the mirror, turning around and looking at her reflection from the back.

            “South Side Serpents?” Her question was jarring, almost as if it had broken the spell she’d somehow put Toni under.

            She cleared her throat and nodded, smiling at the sight of Cheryl in her leather jacket. “Looks good on you,” Toni admitted, feeling eyes on her that prompted a response to the question she hadn’t asked. It wasn’t something easy for her to talk about because she knew people looked down on her when she did. She was hopeful and trusting in Cheryl not to. “It’s…ah, where I’m from. I grew up on the South Side. There’s a group of us, we all hang together, and we always have each other’s backs. Some people would probably call us a gang, but we’re a family. The South Side Serpents.”

            “Jay-Jay’s the only one who ever had my back,” Cheryl confessed quietly, spinning to face her. Though she knew they were being recorded, she began to launch into the most truthful explanation of her feelings that she could manage. “Until now. I—I hope you won’t be upset but I overheard part of your conversation with Veronica today. I was not trying to eavesdrop, I swear. But you really went to bat for me, Toni. Seeing that made me realize what we have is something special. You learn the most about people when they don’t think they’re being watched. In the spirit of being honest, I want you to know that I care about you too. I didn’t come here for love. I came here for the exposure, because—I wanted the option of selling the company. I want out. I can’t be a Blossom anymore. Our conversation before only solidified that. You were right. I’m not a kid anymore, I’m not under my mother’s thumb, and once I sell the maple farm, I will be free of her forever. I don’t have to win the Bachelor. I don’t have to be with Harrison and I don’t want to. When he kissed me today, all I could think was that I wished it had been you. I am so tired of lying. So, screw it, I’m moving back into our room, and we’re going to make the most of our time here together.”

            To be honest, Toni didn’t know what to say. Cheryl had just laid herself bare and she felt unbelievably honored. It was no small thing. She’d said all of this knowing there was a camera in their room. If the producers wanted, they could go to Harrison and show him the footage. The two of them would likely be sent home. From their perspective, though, it made more sense to keep this a secret. It would play so dramatically on television for them to be hiding this behind the scenes and Toni hoped that instead of coming across like liars, people could see what they had was real and root for them in the way they rooted for their favorite contestants to end up with the Bachelor. There had never been a Sapphic relationship on this show before and she didn’t know how people would react. All she needed to know was that Cheryl was all in and after this conversation, she did.

            “I’m glad to hear you say that. I’m not going to let you down. Not ever.” Toni swore, grabbing onto the leather jacket with a lopsided grin. Stepping up onto her tip-toes, she stole a kiss from the redhead who had quickly stolen her heart. “We should have a date tonight after the party. In case Harrison changes his mind and I get sent home.”

            Cheryl leaned down, splaying her fingers along Toni’s back with a calm smile. She’d never seen her look this content and she had to say it was a good look for her.

            “Not that I am saying no, but how exactly are we going to have a date? We’re literally never alone, if you consider the cameras.” Cheryl acknowledged them, indicating she remembered the fact that everything they were currently saying, every single truth would be recorded for posterity.

            Toni pressed her index finger against Cheryl’s lips to playfully silence her. “That is for me to figure out. I will do all the planning. All you have to do is show up.”

            “That I can do,” she hummed, teasingly biting the tip of Toni’s finger. “I’ll wear the purple dress…For you.” Her eyebrows lifted as she saw the incredulous look on Toni’s face and she laughed, amused by her reaction to the unwarned finger bite. “You like biting, do you?”

            “Maybe.”

            Grinning mischievously, Cheryl shrugged out of the jacket and handed it back over to Toni. She leaned down to press a lingering kiss to her cheek, staring at her handiwork for a moment before letting out a cackle.

            “Did you leave a lip print?”

            “I left a lip print.”

            “Devil girl.” Toni murmured, dropping her jacket onto the edge of Cheryl’s bed. “Why don’t you get ready for the cocktail party and I’ll gather up your things and put them back in our room?” She suggested, knowing she needed to cool off a bit before she got too wound up. There was plenty of time for that but now was definitely not that time.

            Instead, she focused on relocating the entire contents of Cheryl’s closet as well as the rest of her personal items to their shared room. When she’d changed rooms, Toni didn’t think they’d end up here but she couldn’t be more grateful for it. She’d been more honest with Cheryl in a few weeks than she’d been with anyone in a long time. Though on one hand, it scared the living shit out of her, it was also a relief to discover she may not spend her entire life alone. Toni wasn’t dumb enough to believe she and Cheryl would spend their whole lives together—they hadn’t known one another long enough to know if they’d really work in a relationship together, but seeing herself open up to her made her realize she was capable of letting people in. For so long she’d been afraid, having hookups to avoid anything real and now that she had something tangible in her reach, she realized what she’d been missing all this time. She only hoped that this thing would Cheryl would last outside of this house, that they could spend more time together away from the cameras to discover the depth of their connection.

            All of these things occupied her mind as she finished moving Cheryl’s things and once she was done, she went to lay down on her bed with a yawn. It was too bad she had to go to the cocktail party tonight, as she’d rather take a nap. She’d nearly fallen asleep when Cheryl appeared in the doorframe, the sight of her in the tight plum dress waking her up almost instantly. “Oh, wow,” she murmured, wiping her mouth with the backs of her fingers in case she was drooling. “You’re stunning.”

            “I know,” Cheryl teased, glancing at the closet, which was now bursting at its seams. “I was thinking…would you let me dress you? Just this once.”

            Like she could say no. “If you want, but there’s no way I can pull off something like that.” Toni gestured to the dress she wore. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m short.”

            “I am not here to change you. I’m just here to enhance your beauty. I was thinking that we could blend your whole Toni Topaz aesthetic with just a dash of Cheryl Bombshell.” She indicated, her hand on her hip. “I like that you’re tiny.”

            “My friends call me Tiny. The boys… Sweet Pea. Fangs.” God, she missed them. They had made fun of her mercilessly when she told them about going on the show. Wait until they found out about Cheryl. No, they wouldn’t take the piss out of her then.

            Not wanting to be judgmental but genuinely surprised by Toni’s friends’ names, she gave her a quizzical look. “What kinds of names are those? I’m not being mean, I just haven’t met anyone with a name like Sweet Pea or Fangs.”

            “Just nicknames. If I told you their actual names, or said them on television, at least, they would be so pissed at me. But they’re good guys. Them and Jughead, they’re my best friends.”

            “Jughead? That _can’t_ be his real name.”

            Toni chuckled, eyeing Cheryl as she moved to sit down next to her. “Nah. Kids in school made fun of him because they said he had such big ears, his head looked like a jug. The ears were the handles. It was so dumb, but Jug, he’s funny like that. Thought he’d stick it to ‘em by going by Jughead. Not sure he ever intended for it to be a permanent thing, but it was.”

            “Kids can be cruel. They weren’t so kind to me growing up either. I found out after Jay-Jay died that the reason he wanted to celebrate our birthday together every year is because no one would have gone to my party.” Cheryl got a bit choked up as she recalled the story, her eyes getting a little teary. Toni leaned in and wiped her eyes with a soft smile.

            “I would’ve.”

            “I wonder what it would have been like to know you then,” Cheryl mused, knowing that her childhood would’ve been better with someone as incredible as Toni by her side.

            She frowned. “Bad. No, not because—it’s just—I was a different person then. I feel like you met me now for a reason. I wouldn’t have been ready for a You then.”

            “But you are now?”

            “I am.” She assured her with complete certainty.

            “And you’re ready for me to pick out your outfit?”

            Toni groaned, rolling her eyes but smiling despite her seemingly annoyed reaction. “Yeah, I guess. Only cuz you’re cute.”

            ---

            Huh. She actually looked pretty hot. Cheryl’s dress was longer on her given how short she was, but paired with the fishnets she’d brought from home, Toni appeared to be some kind of gothic goddess. She slipped on her combat boots and earned an appreciative smile from the other woman when she stood. Tempted to share another kiss, she told herself she’d get the chance tonight, and directed Cheryl out toward the hallway. They were the last ones to arrive at the cocktail party but no one seemed to notice. Harrison was making his rounds and when he laid eyes on Toni, it was like something out of a cartoon. Though they couldn’t literally see his heart beating out of his chest like a Pepe Le Pew, they might as well have. Cheryl nudged her and bit back a laugh as he approached.

            “Toni, you look…wow.”

            “She’s hot, right?” Cheryl added. “Her outfit tonight is courtesy of me. So you’re welcome for the eye candy, Harry.”

            Smiling at the two of them, he continued to hold a conversation. As they chatted, he admitted he was surprised when he discovered the two of them were so close. The way he worded it made both of them nervous that they’d been found out. When Harrison explained that the other girls hadn’t really bonded much, Toni pointed out that there was a lot he didn’t see behind the scenes. She told him that Betty and Veronica hung out all the time and that Josie and Valerie seemed to be pretty tight, too. It was mostly to direct the attention off of them, in case their closeness seemed to him as anything but friendship. Toni was going to tell him the truth, but not tonight. Tonight was about her first date with Cheryl.

            The cocktail party was much less unbearable now that she had Cheryl back by her side. The last one had been a complete and utter mess, but that was because she’d been so torn up and had gotten drunk to forget her woes. This was the happiest she’d been since night one. As the party drew to a close, Toni snuck out, promising she’d grab Cheryl when she was ready for her. She headed to set up, having planned everything out in her mind to make tonight perfect. Once she was sure it was up to snuff, she found Cheryl again and dragged her off to the bathroom.

            “The bathroom?” She asked incredulously when she brought her to the door.

            Instead of answering, Toni pulled her into the bathroom and shut the door behind them, allowing her work to speak for her. She’d set up candles throughout the room and a small tray of food for them to share. She even grabbed some champagne, bubble bath and two fuzzy Bachelor robes. Though she’d left the bath option open thanks to the tub and its amazing jets, she wouldn’t push Cheryl into doing anything she wasn’t ready for. Toni would be fine with it if she wasn’t comfortable getting naked together and she by no means assumed they’d be getting physical if they did. There were only so many things one could do in a bathroom and while it wasn’t ideal, sneaking into the fantasy suite would be a much more difficult thing to pull off. At least they’d have their privacy. Toni had even locked the door.

            “What do you think?” She whispered, noting that Cheryl hadn’t said anything. She seemed speechless, but that could be either a good or a bad thing.

            Cheryl took a seat on the side of the bath tub and looked at Toni for a moment before breaking into a grin. “It’s sweet. You did all this for me? I just, I’ve never had a date with a girl before. I’m…nervous.”

            “You don’t need to be. Just be you. We’re hanging out. That’s all. I thought maybe after we ate we could take a bubble bath by candlelight, but only if you’re into it. We could put on our bikinis if you’d be more comfortable with that.” Toni added, not wanting her to feel pressured.

            She shook her head adamantly. “No. I am _not_ missing a chance to check you out. I don’t really care about being naked. Is it weird that being open and honest with you scares me more than being naked in front of you?”

            “Not gonna lie. I’m scared of both. But just cause I’m scared, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing. How about you pop open the champagne while I get our bath started, hmm?” Toni couldn’t help but take the role of the caretaker, stroking Cheryl’s arm as she moved to her side, leaning over the bath to turn on the water.

            Standing up, she didn’t hesitate to check out Toni’s ass when she was bent over. Cheryl wasn’t subtle about it either. She popped a chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth and got started opening up the champagne for them to share. Pouring each of them a glass, she smiled as Toni turned toward her again. “Here, I want to propose a toast.” Once they both had a champagne glass, the redhead clinked hers against Toni’s. “To ma chérie. I never expected to meet someone like you, but I am so grateful that I have.”

            Toni took a sip and licked her lips. “I’m sorry, I’m going to sound totally uncultured here, but what does that mean? Ma chérie?” She repeated, butchering the French accent as she tried her best to imitate it.

            Cheryl looked enamored, genuinely smitten with her, and she didn’t know how she’d gotten so fucking lucky. She blushed a deep crimson when she translated. “It means my sweetheart.” She seemed embarrassed to admit it and Toni wanted her to know there was no need to be ashamed.

            “Oh, my god. I want to kiss you so bad right now.” With nothing holding her back, she did, smiling against her lips as she pulled Cheryl against her. Toni managed to place both of their champagne glasses on the counter before giving her a deep kiss, pouring every ounce of feeling into it. The kiss said all the things she couldn’t vocalize, and she hoped Cheryl could feel it.

            They were still kissing when Toni felt fingers tugging at the zipper of the dress she wore. She helped Cheryl undress her, blinking back tears when she saw her see her for the first time. It was hard to describe, seeing herself be admired with such awe. When Cheryl touched her, she trembled, steadying herself with her hands on her hips, her own fingers mimicking the movements she’d seen Cheryl make. It was not long before the two of them were stark naked sinking into the warm, bubbly water together.

            It was mainly conversation and maybe a little making out as they spent time getting pruny together in the water. Though they were both tempted, things stayed PG-13. It felt like too soon to take that step and as far as she knew, Cheryl was still a virgin. It didn’t seem right to do this now and on that, they seemed to agree. When they got out, Toni took the time to nestle Cheryl into a robe before putting on her own. The night couldn’t have been more perfect, ending with the two of them entwined in bed together, falling asleep more easily than they had in weeks.

            At the elimination, two girls were sent home, and thankfully, Toni was not one of them. Another week that she was certain to spend by Cheryl’s side. What she didn’t expect was to be chosen for a one-on-one date that week. It felt like the universe was playing a joke on her by forcing her to spend time alone with Harrison after discovering the depth of her connection with Cheryl. There would be no faking things anymore. She would have to be honest and it was going to be hard and messy, but she would beg him if she had to. She’d help him somehow, anything to stay around. Rereading the date card, she was unable to ascertain what it was about. In the afternoon she discovered that she and Harrison would be going on a motorcycle ride together. She couldn’t have been more in her element or so she believed, until everything that could go wrong, did.

\---

            In most cases, Toni preferred to drive herself and that was doubly the case when it came to motorcycles. She understood that cuddling up to Harrison on the back of the bike would look romantic on camera, but it made her insanely nervous. She was putting her life in the dude’s hands and she barely knew him. When they finally arrived downtown, she was relieved, sliding off of the motorcycle and pulling the helmet off. Toni took the time to fix her hair and then looked around, trying to get a clue about what they were about to do.

            “I hope you’re hungry,” Harrison declared with a lopsided grin, actually charming in his jeans and leather jacket, even though it was obvious they were recently purchased and not heavily broken in like Toni’s old clothes. “There’s a ton of food trucks around here. I thought we could check a few out, maybe walk around and take in the sights.”

            Much more relaxed now that she was on her own two feet, she nodded appreciatively. “I’m actually starving, so that’s perfect. Just don’t judge me for how I look when I’m stuffing my face and we’ll be good.”

            “You got yourself a deal.” When he smiled, Toni could see his dimples and she grinned, thinking in the moment how cute he looked. He was no Cheryl, of course, but he was cute as shit. That was why when he pulled his arm around her waist, she didn’t resist. The whole thing was casual enough that she didn’t feel pressured to flirt with him and instead just let herself have fun. They made their way to the line of food trucks, chatting about what food options they hoped to see. Toni got an entire meal made up of different options from several trucks—an iced coffee, some noodles, a barbeque sandwich and a chorizo. She didn’t care about how it made her look pigging out like that and it seemed like he didn’t either.

            “I’m guessing you’ve probably been on the back of a bike a time or two.” Harrison stated conversationally, taking a bite out of his bean burrito. “You took it like a pro.”

            Toni nodded, swallowing a mouthful of noodles. “Not the back so much. I have my own bike. I prefer to be in control.”

            “Control freak, huh?” He teased, nudging her with his foot. She felt as if she was outside of herself watching their interaction. Maybe if the situation had been different, she wouldn’t have been internally cringing at all of his attempts to charm her.

            “You could say that. More than that, though, I have trust issues. Being on the back means trusting the person who’s driving and honestly, I don’t know your driving history. I was a little uneasy…but we made it here in one piece, so that’s a point in your favor.”

            Much to her surprise, Harrison leaned in and expressed his regret, apologizing for making her feel uncomfortable. “I didn’t realize, Toni. I was just doing what the producers told me to. I have my M1 license. I’m always safe. Once we’re done here, I am sure some of the crew would be willing to give you a ride back. I don’t want you to ride with me if you don’t feel comfortable.” She appreciated his honesty and his care. It meant a great deal to her and said a lot about the kind of guy he was.

            “As long as we’re being honest with each other, there’s actually something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.” Toni took a deep breath as she prepared herself for her confession, the very thing that could likely send her home. “I’m bisexual. I’m open about it, too. Everyone back home knows, and I’ve been dating both guys and girls for pretty much as long as I can remember.” There was much more to it, but she’d get to that. She had to ease him into this.

            He slowly began to process what she’d said, propping his head up on his hand as his elbow rested on the table. “You’re into girls. We really do have a lot in common, huh?”

            “You into boys, too?” She grinned.

            Harrison was quick to disagree. “No, no—not that there’s anything wrong with that. Why are you telling me this? I’m happy to get to know you, that’s why I asked you here, but I’m just wondering what prompted you to tell me this particular thing.”

            She put down her fork, suddenly hyperaware of the fact that they were on camera. She had to be careful about how she worded this, or she could end up looking like a total asshole. Toni had never cared much about what people thought about her, but on a global level like this…it was honestly intimidating. What she did on this show could have a profound impact on the rest of her life.

            “I love hanging out with you. I think you’re so rad and we have fun together, but I think that friendship is the only thing in the cards for us. Honestly, and I wasn’t expecting this when I came here, but I’m falling for somebody and it isn’t you. I’m so sorry, Harrison.”

            “Wait, what? Who?” He was shocked and confused, but not angry.

            It didn’t feel like her place to out Cheryl, so she murmured: “I don’t know if I should say.”

            “Does she feel the same way? Toni, you’re right, we have a solid friendship and I care about you. Am I a little disappointed? Sure, but I’m dating a bunch of other girls right now. I haven’t committed to anybody and I’ll get over this. My ego will, too. It’s better you tell me now rather than letting this get down to the end and me falling in love with you, proposing to you… It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

            “She likes me. I know that much, but—I don’t know if she’s as in this as I am. I think she’s not sure about what she wants.” Her conversation with Cheryl was in the back of her mind and while she’d made herself pretty clear then, she wanted to leave her the option of being with Harrison if she decided that’s what she wanted. She also didn’t want to out her to him, and this gave Cheryl an out if she wasn’t okay with it.

            “Is she, like, a crew member, or one of the other…girls?”

            Toni winced, knowing it might affect him more if he knew two girls were down for the count. “It’s one of the other girls. Dude, I am seriously so sorry. I didn’t plan this. I feel like a jerk, like I cheated on you or something.”

            “You’re not my girlfriend. You don’t owe me any loyalty, we’re not exclusive—I just wish you would have said something sooner.” Pausing, he put his hand on top of hers, furrowing his brow as he tried to grapple with everything he’d just learned. “It’s Cheryl, isn’t it? I noticed the way you looked at her, but I just thought—I don’t know. I don’t know what I thought.”

            “Yeah, it’s Cheryl. She’s just…”

            “Amazing.” He finished her sentence knowingly.

            “Exactly.”

            Staying silent for a moment, Harrison opened up, showing that he was much more open-minded and genuine than anyone had given him credit for. “You should tell her how you feel. Tonight. Lay it all out, just be honest, like you are with me. That’s all you can really do.”

            “Wait, you’re—not sending me home tonight? I figured when I told you, you’d…want me gone.”

            “Maybe at some point, when I get serious about who I want to be with, but not right now, no. I don’t want to deny you time with Cheryl. Just—talk to her, figure out where she’s at. Let me know, so I can decide whether I should cut you both loose to be together, or…whatever. I don’t want to send her home if she wants to stay.”

            “I really underestimated you, Harry.” Toni laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. She got up and moved to sit next to him, leaning into his embrace. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say but thank you.”

            His lips pressed against her forehead, a wholly platonic gesture. “You’re welcome. While you’re here, think you could be my wingman? I have my eye on a few of the girls here. You see them more than I do. Who should I spend more time getting to know?”

            “Not Veronica.” She blurted out before covering her mouth. “Sorry. It’s just, she gave me this whole spiel about working together to get Cheryl out of the way. It was pretty awful. She rubs me the wrong way. If I think about who I like here the most, I’d have to say Josie. She’s chill and she’s the only other person here who seems to be genuinely themselves. She’s not a bitch like some of the other girls and in case you haven’t noticed, she’s fucking hot.”

            He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’ve noticed, believe me. I’ll make sure she’s my next one-on-one. You clearly have good taste, seeing as how you stole my frontrunner…”

            “Oh, shut up.” Toni punched him playfully in the arm. He widened his eyes when he felt her fist slam into him, shocked by the power she put behind it. “What, did that hurt?” Harrison rubbed at his arm and pouted before breaking into a smile.

            “Tiny Toni, you are a whole lotta woman. I hope Cheryl can handle you.” Chuckling, he grabbed what was left of his food and wrapped it up for later. No way was he going to waste a good thing. Following his lead, she began to pack up, too.

            “I’ll ride back with you.”

            If she’d known what would happen, she never would have made that decision.

            They got back onto the bike together, just as they had before. It didn’t feel any different when Harrison pulled out onto the road. Neither of them could have guessed that it would start raining or that they’d encounter a deep pot hole. As the bike threw them off, Toni could feel herself losing consciousness and though she tried hard to fight through it, she ultimately lost. The next time she opened her eyes, she was greeted with unfamiliar surroundings. Everything was bright. White. A distant ringing. God, her head was killing her…

            “Antoinette? Can you hear me?” An unfamiliar voice caught her attention and her gaze settled on a doctor who began to shine a pen light into her eyes.

            “Fuck, that hurts—what the hell happened?” That’s when she remembered. The bike. The rain. The pothole. The wipeout. Sitting up, she started to ask: “Where’s Harrison? Is he alright?” Everything on her hurt. The act of sitting up made her let out a whimper and she slumped back down in the bed. “Please tell me he’s alright.”

            “He’s going to be fine. It’s you we’re concerned about. You were pinned beneath the motorcycle. You kept going in and out of consciousness. We believe you might have a concussion, and you’ve broken a few bones. You’re lucky to be alive.”

            “My head hurts. My whole body…hurts.”

            “That is to be expected. What is your pain on a scale of one to ten, Antoinette?”

            “Toni. It’s Toni. Ten. Oh, god. I could have died.”

            “Okay, Toni. What’s important is that you stay calm. We are going to manage your pain. Ramona is going to be your nurse, and she’s about to give you some medicine. You’ll feel better in a moment.” As the doctor spoke, the nurse injected some pain medication into her IV. She could feel her pain melting away and she sighed in relief.

            “Cheryl.”

            “What?”

            “I wanna see Cheryl.” She was feeling doped up already, but all she wanted was for Cheryl to be there.

            The nurse glanced over at the doctor, looking uncertain. She could hear the two of them having a conversation about how Toni was a contestant on this season of the Bachelor and she didn’t have any family nearby. Normally they wouldn’t have let someone who wasn’t family in, but it would likely be a while before any of her family members got there. After what felt like forever, the nurse spoke to her directly.

            “We’re going to make sure she gets here.”

            Humming appreciatively, she began to talk incessantly, realizing that she wasn’t on camera. It felt so good to just exist. As much as this sucked, maybe there was a silver lining. The doctor and the nurse exited, heading out into the hallway. They were meeting with a producer who had rushed here after receiving the call about the accident. As Toni fell into a dazed, sleepy state, they were discussing the fact that she needed to be kept overnight for observation and asking if Cheryl could be brought to see her.

            When she woke again, it was because she felt someone grabbing her hand. Seeing Cheryl sitting there felt like a fever dream. “It’s you. You came. Pretty girl, you came to see me. Hey, Namora! No, wait that wasn’t it. Madonna? No. Oh! Ramona! Ramona, this is my girlfriend, isn’t she so pretty?”

            “Very pretty. Just checking her vitals,” the nurse explained as an aside to Cheryl, who was blushing furiously. “I thought you guys were on the Bachelor?”

            “We are. You’re going to want to watch this season. Can you tell me anything? Is she out of the woods, or…?” Cheryl knew that it wasn’t customary to give out medical details to

            “She’s lucky. I know intensive care is scary, but she’s young and from the looks of it, strong. She’ll pull through. We think she has a concussion, so we’re keeping her overnight. A few broken bones, but she’ll recover from that, too. Do you want to stay with her tonight?”

            “Can I?”

            “Normally, no. But I know you guys aren’t from here and she’s asked for you. She’s from New York, right? It’ll probably be awhile before her family gets here. I’d really feel better if she wasn’t alone.” The nurse gave Cheryl an apologetic smile. “Let me know if either of you need anything. You can just push the call light, okay?”

            “Thank you.”

            As Ramona filed out of the room, Cheryl turned her attention back to Toni, whose hand she was still holding. It was hard to see her like this. She looked so small in the hospital bed and so very fragile. She’d come so close to losing her and it was terrifying.

            “Hi.” Toni squeezed her hand before bringing it to her lips, covering the top of it with kisses and giggling. She’d never heard Toni giggle before, and chalked it up to the pain meds. “I missed you, baby.”

            “You are so out of it right now.” Cheryl grinned, scooting closer to the side of the bed. She leaned down to give the other girl a gentle kiss. Her lips were dry, and they tasted vaguely hospital-like, but she didn’t care. “I missed you too. Is Harry okay?”

            “Uh huh. He’s doing way better than me. I’m glad cause I told him about us and he was so nice. He said I should tell you how I feel. So ‘mgonna do that.”

            They hadn’t talked about doing this, so Cheryl was shocked. “You told him? Toni, why would you do that?”

            “He likes us. Both of us, and it wasn’t fair. I told him I didn’t know how you felt. But I said, I said that I’m falling in love with you, and that—that was the truth.” Toni stated plainly, not realizing what she was saying straight to Cheryl’s face.

            “You’re—oh, I wish you weren’t high right now. This isn’t a good time to have this conversation…”

            Toni mistook her words for something other than what they were. “What d’you mean? You’re breaking up with me?”

            “No, of course not. I mean, we’re not together, technically, but…no. I just don’t know if you’re going to remember any of this. You’re pretty doped up. Then again, you almost died today, and I feel like you deserve the truth. I’ve never felt like this before. I know I said I was in love with Heather, and maybe in a way I was, but I was young. This feels different. Toni, I am terrified, but I am definitely falling for you, too. I’m so glad I didn’t lose you today.”

As she finished her confession, Cheryl was shocked to find that Toni had fallen asleep. She was snoring softly and while it sucked that they didn’t have their big moment of honesty, she wasn’t upset about it. It just meant she could say it better next time.

“Rest, ma chérie. I’m not going anywhere…”


	6. The Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl keeps Toni company at the hospital. Jealousy flares when she meets someone from Toni's life, but is it justified?And why does everyone keep insisting that Toni goes to the rose ceremony?

            It was a shock to learn that she had broken three bones—her tibia, her radius and her wrist. All were on the right side of her body which meant that she couldn’t write or do the majority of things she was used to doing with her dominant hand. It was frustrating, to say the least. Toni had a thing about giving up control, as she’d told Harrison in their conversation earlier that night and the inability to take care of herself was hard for her to take. The only thing that made it bearable was having Cheryl by her side, and, well—the pain meds didn’t hurt. Waking from her second impromptu nap that evening, she found the redhead curled into her left side. Toni glanced over at the clock on the wall and realized how late it was. She thought that Cheryl would’ve gone back to the mansion by now, but it seemed like she was there to stay. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harrison coming toward the hospital room. He was wearing a wrist brace and had some pretty gnarly road rash, but he looked a lot better than she felt. When he noticed Cheryl asleep next to her, the smile he gave her lit up his entire face. He seemed genuinely happy for her, and she knew despite the fact that he’d been driving the bike, the accident wasn’t his fault. No one could’ve predicted the rain and the pot hole combination, and she didn’t blame him for what had happened.

            “Hey,” she spoke softly, out of desire to not wake Cheryl up as well as the fact that her throat was dry & hurting. “You look like shit.”

            Harrison grinned. “You, too. Welcome to the Broken Wrist Club. We’re having t-shirts made next week.” He took a seat in the chair where Cheryl had been sitting before. “I’m so sorry. I’m glad you’re okay but I feel so bad for what happened. You were nervous about riding with me and you did it anyway…now look at you. Are you in pain? Tell me if there’s anything I can do.”

            “No. Harry, it was not your fault, okay? Do not blame yourself. I’m fine, and they’re managing my pain. Keeping me nice and doped up. You made my girl feel bad for me, and now she’s here snuggling with me. I could not be happier.” Toni assured him with a widening grin. “I’m glad you came to see me. I wanted to talk to you about dropping out of the competition. We both know you’re not going to end up with me at the end of this and while I was happy to stick around and be your wingman, I don’t really feel up to dealing with…all of this.” She gestured to her various casts and braces and sighed. “I’m not sure what Cheryl wants to do, but—”

            “Stop. I already talked to Cheryl. It’s okay if you want to leave, but I do need you at the rose ceremony. Once you’re released from the hospital, which I’m hearing will probably be tomorrow, the producers are going to put you up in a hotel here in town. You’ll stick around for a couple days, go to the rose ceremony, and then go home that day. I’ll have the ceremony early. And don’t say no, because that is not an option.” Harrison’s insistence about her staying the rest of the week was puzzling. He wasn’t a pushy guy and it didn’t make sense, but what she didn’t know was that he and Cheryl had already spoken to one another. This request came from her, but it was meant to be a surprise what was to come. He did his best not to let on what was really going on, which left Toni very confused.

            Toni furrowed her eyebrows at him. “Uhhh, I mean, I guess? You’re not giving me a choice, huh? Are you up to something?” He made a gesture to indicate his lips were sealed and she laughed, jolting Cheryl awake.

            “Huh?” She sat up immediately, looking around before visibly relaxing when she remembered where she was and why. “Oh, hi Harry. Did they release you?”

            “They did. I’m going to drop by the mansion, let the girls know I’m okay. Is there anything you two need? I’m sure we can get an intern or whatever to bring you something.” The offer was sweet and before Toni could say she didn’t need anything, Cheryl interrupted.

            “Yes, actually.” She put her hands together as she thought about what they needed. “If someone could bring Toni some clothes, so she doesn’t have to wear that abysmal hospital gown. I would take an outfit, as what I am wearing is not fit to sleep in. Another outfit for tomorrow would be preferable, as well as two toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a hairbrush. That’s all.”

            Toni let out a loud laugh, reaching for Cheryl’s hand. “That’s all? I’m fine. I won’t die if I wear a hospital gown or brush my teeth for like a day.”

            “Will you die if I don’t kiss you? Because if you don’t brush your teeth, that is _exactly_ what is going to happen, Antoinette.” The redhead declared in a serious tone.

            “WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?”

            Cheryl smirked proudly, sharing a look with Harrison. “The nurse told us. I simply couldn’t resist. But just because I’m teasing you doesn’t mean I didn’t mean what I said. I will not kiss a girl with gross breath.”

            “Fine. You can get somebody to bring what she wants.” Toni rolled her eyes, stroking Cheryl’s hand with her thumb. Harrison looked at Cheryl and then at Toni, shaking his head as he smiled at them.

            “You two just make so much sense together. Now that I see it, I can’t believe I didn’t see it, you know?” Harrison leaned down and kissed the top of both of their heads. “I’ll make sure somebody comes down tonight and brings you what you need. You two get some rest and have them call me if you need anything at all.”

            Toni and Cheryl exchanged a look. “I am elated to find that you are not a jerk. I’d almost be disappointed I wasn’t with you if I didn’t have this one here.” The redhead teased, leaning into Toni’s side possessively.

            “Well, if you change your mind…” Harrison joked, earning a murmur of discontent from Toni. “Like you’d change your mind. I’ll see you guys this weekend. Behave yourselves for the nurses, at least.”

            “I make no promises.” Toni piped up, giggling as Harry bid the two of them adieu and left her finally alone with Cheryl. She felt a little guilty for falling asleep earlier, but now she actually was feeling a bit better and at the very least, more awake than before. Once Harrison was out of sight, she turned her attention back to the other woman. “Earlier, when I fell asleep on you. We were having a serious conversation, weren’t we?”

            Cheryl shrugged. “You could say that.”

            Her guilt skyrocketed along with her curiosity. She remembered that Cheryl had said something about now not being a good time to have this conversation. She was pretty sure that she wasn’t ending things with her or she wouldn’t still be here. That meant it was something serious, but good. Her heartbeat sped up, causing the machine she was hooked up to, to beep.

            “I’m sorry I fell asleep and you can totally punish me for that later, but I need to know what it was you said.” Toni blurted out, flushing as she realized how it sounded when she mentioned letting Cheryl punish her. Maybe she considered herself a top in most situations, but there might be some instances she’d be okay with handing the reigns over to a certain redheaded vixen.

            Cheryl’s arm slid around Toni’s shoulder and she let out a soft sigh, meeting her gaze for a few moments of silence. It was clear that she was nervous about having this conversation and while she couldn’t blame her for that, she very much wanted to hear what she had to say.

            “When I look back on my life, I think a lot about everything that I’ve missed. I spent so much time hiding and that’s because of what happened when my mother made me stop being friends with Heather. The truth is, I was just a kid then. I didn’t know what love was. All I knew was how good being around her made me feel and my mother told me that was wrong. For the longest time, I believed her. I don’t know that I was even in love with Heather. She was my best friend and we were close. It might have been a crush, but it didn’t feel like…this.” The usually confident woman faltered, a blush becoming painfully obvious against her pale skin. “It’s going to sound crazy, but I’m falling for you. Maybe I already have.”

            Toni’s expression softened. Ugh, Cheryl was so sweet. Her inexperience had been something that concerned her before, but she seemed to be in touch with how she felt. She needed to be sure she understood that her feelings were reciprocated. She assured her with a smile, “It doesn’t sound crazy. You know I feel the same way, right?”

            “I hoped you did. I thought you might, but…”

            “I do. You realize that we’ve spent way more time together than most people do while they’re dating? We’ve been living together for weeks. This isn’t exactly a normal situation. Of course feelings are going to be escalated. That doesn’t mean they’re not real or that we’re crazy for feeling this way. If you’re worried about what other people might think about us, don’t. The only person’s opinion on this that matters to me is yours.”

            Nodding sagely, Cheryl felt safe enough to vocalize her biggest fear. “What if we don’t work together out in the real world? We’ve been in this bubble and once we’re out of it, who knows how things are going to go? We both have our own lives.”

            It was a legitimate worry, one that Toni had considered. The two of them were different from one another, they had different viewpoints on life, different desires, but at their core, they had more commonalities than differences. Now was too soon to say if they would work long-term. They were still getting to know each other. They would find their way and she knew, without a doubt, that they would continue to be a part of each other’s lives. While she wanted a serious relationship and to fall madly in love with Cheryl, if it didn’t happen, that was okay, too. She cared about her deeply enough now that she couldn’t imagine not having her in her life.

            “All we can do is try. Don’t get bogged down by all these what-if’s. Nobody knows how things are going to go. How we feel about each other is going to change. It’s just a matter of how. But I can promise you one thing, Cheryl, and that’s that you have me. I’m yours, always. Whether that’s as a girlfriend, or as a friend…I am not going anywhere. When I care about people, I’m there for them, no matter what—and that goes for you, too.”

            “You make it sound so easy.”

            “Yeah, well, you make it easy.”

            Ramona entered the hospital room wearing a smile. She put a Styrofoam cup down on the table next to the bed and Toni looked over at it.

            “That’s not Jell-O.”

            “….it isn’t. I’m sorry, but the doctor said you can’t have anything to eat or drink right now. The best we can do is ice chips. We’re keeping you for observation overnight and if something were to happen with the head injury…we need to be able to perform surgery if it becomes necessary. I know it sucks.”

            Cheryl and Toni both became concerned immediately, having been unaware of the potential for needing surgery. Toni was overcome with fear all of the sudden, and Cheryl spoke up, trembling as she engaged the nurse in conversation.

            “You think she might need surgery? Like brain surgery?”

            “Her CAT scan looked okay. No signs of bleeding in the brain or anything to be concerned about. The concussion was diagnosed by the other tests the doctor performed. That being said, we just want to be cautious. If something’s going to happen, we want to be prepared for it. So far it looks like we’re on track to release you tomorrow. We’ll be running more tests then, to see how you do compared to when we brought you in.”

            After absorbing the explanation, Cheryl had a follow up question. “What can I do? Besides keeping an eye on her, of course.” She sounded so concerned and serious that Toni was actually in awe of her.

            Ramona finished taking Toni’s vitals before she responded. “What you’re doing is great. Let us know if you notice anything. Any new symptoms, an increase in pain, things like that. Toni, how is your pain right now?”

            “Hm…a two?”

            “She’s been pressing the button.” Cheryl pointed out.

            The nurse laughed. “Good. That’s what it’s there for. Do you need to use the bathroom?” 

            “God, yes. I have to pee so bad!”

            “I can take you to the bathroom, unless you’d rather I insert a catheter. With your leg, you’re going to be getting around in either a wheelchair or on crutches. What do you think?” She was grateful the nurse was leaving it up to her and she considered her options.

            Toni glanced over at Cheryl. “No catheter. Let’s go with the wheelchair. I might need to learn how to do the crutches thing. Can you believe I’ve never broken a bone before?”

            “And then you break three in one go.” She sighed with motherly concern. Toni wondered if she was a parent but didn’t think it was polite to ask. “I’ll get the wheelchair and come to get you in a couple of minutes, okay?”

            “Cool. I’ll be here.” Toni joked, as if she could go anywhere on her own.

            Cheryl glanced around the room, carefully considering where she was going to sleep tonight. There was a fold out couch that was an option, as she figured that the doctors and nurses wouldn’t be keen on her sharing a bed with Toni—even if that’s what both of them wanted. “While you’re gone, I’m going to get some extra blankets and pillows for us. Hopefully someone from the show will be here soon to give us everything I requested. Is there anything else you need?” She intended to ask a hospital staff member for the blankets and pillows, as well as anything else that Toni might need.

            “Yes,” she answered seriously before breaking into a grin. “A kiss. Preferably from you, but I wouldn’t say no to that cute nurse…”

            Cheryl did not look amused. “You think she’s cute?”

            “ _Babe._ I was just teasing. You’re the only person I want to kiss.” As Toni assured her of this, she pouted. Launching herself forward and ignoring the surge of pain, she kissed Cheryl passionately, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and nipping it gently. When she broke the kiss, she pulled back with a hiss of pain.

            “Did you just do that even though you knew it was going to hurt?”

            “You’re worth it.”

            “Don’t do that again,” Cheryl stated sharply.

            “Then kiss me next time.”

            Toni was being a little shit and she knew it. The funniest thing was that she was pretty much getting away with it. She knew if the situation was different, though, Cheryl would call her out for it. She could tell she felt bad for her being hospitalized and it was sweet seeing her soften so much. Toni had a feeling that she was going to continue to soften as they got to know each other. She felt as if she was beginning to see more new sides of Cheryl and discovered that she loved absolutely all of them.

            As the nurse returned to the room with a wheelchair in tow, Cheryl excused herself. She grabbed a drink from the vending machine and secured some bedding. Toni was helped into the wheelchair, which hurt more than anticipated, and then wheeled to the bathroom. The nurse insisted on helping her up and onto the toilet. It was embarrassing but she knew she didn’t have a choice. Once she’d finished using the restroom, she was relieved, moving to sit back down in the wheelchair. Ramona wheeled her back to the room but before she could help her into bed, Toni asked if Cheryl could take her outside for a bit. The nurse agreed that it would be okay and made them promise to hit the call light when they returned, so she could help her back into bed. Cheryl took a drink from her bottle of water and then grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, guiding Toni out of the room, down the hall and toward the exit where they could get some fresh air. She was impressed by how good Cheryl was at maneuvering the wheelchair and she said so.

            “Nana Rose is wheelchair bound,” she explained, “I have grown used to helping her, at least when she permits me to. The two of us have become closer in the past few years. Sometimes I think she’s the only decent family member I have left.”

            “I’d love to meet her. Grandparents are the best. My gramps is one of the only family members I have left in my life, too. He’s my hero.” Toni briefly considered the idea of her grandfather dating Cheryl’s grandmother and almost laughed out loud, but the sight of the darkening sky and the cool air distracted her from doing so. “It feels so good to be outside. Thanks for taking me out here.”

            Cheryl nodded, insisting that it wasn’t a big deal. “Besides, I wanted to get away from the hospital smell. Hospitals turn my stomach. They have ever since I…” Trailing off, she seemed to catch herself before she said something and just became silent. It was worrying and she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d suddenly stopped talking.

            “You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay.” Respecting her decision not to tell her something was important to Toni. The last thing she ever wanted to do was push Cheryl into something she wasn’t comfortable with. However, it seemed her response had struck her and as she moved to sit across from Toni on the bench, she reached for her hands.

            “I want to. It isn’t easy for me to talk about. It was after Jay-Jay died. I was already unhappy and losing him was my breaking point. A couple weeks after his funeral, I couldn’t be away from him any longer. I intended to join him in death,” Cheryl took a shaky breath and Toni squeezed her hands encouragingly, but stayed silent. “By some miracle, I was found and rescued before it was too late. At the time, I was disappointed, but now I know that was not my time to go. I still miss him every day. I’ll never stop missing him. I know he’d want me to try and be happy, like you make me. I think he would’ve liked you.”          

            To Toni, that was the highest compliment Cheryl could have given her. From what she knew, Jason had been the single most important person in her life and his opinion likely mattered more to her than anyone else’s. Saying Jason would’ve liked her was no small thing and she could actually feel herself getting emotional in response to it.

            “I wish I could have met him. Do you have a picture?”

            She smiled. “I do, in my purse,” Cheryl reached into her purse and rifled through it until she produced a worn photograph of herself and her brother in their teenage years.

            “Wow. He looks like you. A lot like you.”

            “Thank you,” she murmured quietly, running her thumb along Jason’s face in the photo. Toni didn’t have a blood sibling, so maybe she couldn’t truly understand how it felt for Cheryl. She did have the boys, though, who were as close to brothers as they could be. Losing any one of them would’ve been life-altering, and seeing how well Cheryl was doing now made her proud.

            That morning, Toni woke to the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains. She groaned and rolled over, pleased and surprised to find Cheryl curled into her side. Last she’d seen, she’d been settled on the foldout couch, but apparently some time after that had relocated. She definitely wasn’t going to complain about that. Briefly remembering that today was supposed to be group date day, she wondered if Cheryl was going to miss it. She still wasn’t sure what was happening because of the veil of secrecy around the whole thing. Toni was at least attending the rose ceremony after being bullied into it and she intended to leave after. She didn’t know if Cheryl was staying or going and hadn’t gotten the balls to ask. Softly stroking her red hair, she let out a contented sigh, snuggling close and closing tired eyes. Falling asleep, she didn’t wake for another hour when she heard a knock on the door. Wiping the sleep from her eyes and feeling Cheryl’s face pressing into her midsection, she glanced up at the door. Toni’s face lit up when she saw who’d come to see her—Jughead. Her best friend. He wore a scowl as he approached the bed, but his facial expression quickly changed when he noticed Cheryl lying in the bed with her.

            “Who’s this? And what the hell happened to you?”

            It wasn’t like Toni to be bashful, least of all in front of Jug, but having to answer who Cheryl was to her made her suddenly nervous. “Cheryl. She’s on the show with me.” She stated cautiously before the other woman immediately sat up, seeming suddenly quite awake.

            “I’m her girlfriend.” Cheryl corrected, looking Jughead over with an air of jealousy. She noticed the ears sticking out from his beanie but only relaxed somewhat. “You’re Jughead?”

            “That’s me. Girlfriend, huh? That’s new.”

            “We hadn’t really had that talk yet—so, yes, very,” Toni chuckled when Cheryl’s arm went around her possessively. “We met on the show and were more interested in each other than the Bachelor. I was on a date with him last night. I rode on the back of his bike and we had an accident. I’m okay, though.”

            Jughead seemed skeptical. “You don’t look okay. You should sue the show. Why would you ride on the back of some guy’s bike anyway?”

            “I’m not suing, and it wasn’t his fault. There was a downpour and a big ass pot hole. If I’d been driving the same thing would’ve happened. Where are the boys?” 

            “They send their regrets,” he declared dolefully.  “Fangs had to work and uh, Sweet Pea got arrested.” Jug didn’t sound pleased to have to tell her that news, knowing how she’d react. Cheryl silently observed the two of them, putting off a ‘she’s mine’ vibe that made Toni feel some type of way. Apparently, she felt threatened by Jughead, which wasn’t really that off base considering he was her ex-boyfriend.

            “What the hell did he do now?”

            “It’s a long story…” Jughead trailed off, gazing pointedly at Cheryl as if to say he didn’t feel comfortable talking about it in front of her. “Anyway, I got a call about you being in the hospital, so I drove up here to make sure you were okay.”

            Cheryl blinked. “Don’t you live in Riverdale? That’s—”

            “Really far.” Toni finished. “You drove all night. You have to be exhausted, Jug. When they release me, they’re supposed to be putting us up in a hotel. I bet I can get you a room. A lot cheaper than paying me off if I decide to sue, huh?”

            It was Jughead’s turn to be confused. He didn’t get why they’d be going to a hotel at all and had figured he would be taking Toni home. That was part of why he’d come so far.

            “You’re not going home?”

            Cheryl interjected before she could respond. “Not yet. Tomorrow, after the rose ceremony.” Pausing, she pulled her arm out from under Toni’s back and got to her feet. “Jughead, you look like you need some coffee. Come with me. If you’re nice to the nurses, they give you the good coffee, instead of the sludge from the machine.” She wasn’t taking no for an answer, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room. More weirdness about the rose ceremony and not knowing was driving her crazy. Jughead shot her a look over his shoulder before Cheryl forced him out into the hallway.

            While the two of them spoke and presumably got coffee, the doctor entered Toni’s hospital room. He performed an assessment similar to last night and concluded she was doing well and could be released. They would be sending her home with a few scripts and made sure to let her know that her hospital bills were being taken care of by the show. Telling her that the nurse would be back soon with her discharge papers, the doctor then disappeared again. Apparently, she was out of the woods for any concussion complications and she would recover easily. It would take several weeks before she could get the casts removed and she was already trying to come up with interesting ways to decorate them. When Jughead and Cheryl returned, she couldn’t keep the grin off of her face.

            “They’re discharging me!” Toni announced brightly.

            Jughead gave her a knowing grin, tempted to tell her the truth about what Cheryl had spoken to him about. Ultimately, he decided not to spoil the surprise. “That’s awesome. Can we get some burgers when we get out of here?”

            “It’s literally ten am,” Cheryl pointed out.

            “Time is fake.” Jughead shot back. “And Toni hasn’t eaten since yesterday. She deserves greasy goodness. Don’t tell me you’re going to deny your girlfriend one of her most basic needs.”

            Rolling her eyes, Cheryl gave in and began gathering up their things. By the time the nurse came back with the papers and prescriptions, they were all packed up and ready to go. Toni just had to wait to get her IV out and change back into her clothes. It was such a relief to walk (well, roll) out of the hospital doors. They had convinced the hospital to let them have a wheelchair and charged it to her hospital bill, courtesy of the Bachelor. She definitely didn’t feel confident enough to use crutches. Getting her into the car proved difficult, but with Jughead and Cheryl working together, they managed. Jughead loaded the wheelchair into the trunk as Cheryl got into the backseat, clearly disgusted by the state of his vehicle. They dropped by the nearest pharmacy to pick up Toni’s meds, to the fast food joint for burgers and then to the hotel where they were going to be staying.

Managing to get two rooms next to each other, Toni and Jughead were pretty stoked. Cheryl not so much. The two old friends ate burgers on the bed together while watching some mindless comedy film, leaving Cheryl feeling a little left out. She didn’t express her jealousy in quite the same was as Toni, but it was obvious that she felt envious. That was why she made Jughead go to the other bed and encouraged Cheryl to come lay with her. All three of them fell asleep, the girls having not slept well after being interrupted every hour or so for vitals last night and Jughead from staying up all night.

            Toni hated that she couldn’t put her arms around Cheryl the way she normally did when they slept together. Instead, Cheryl slept against her, arm draped around her middle and her head on her chest. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t preferred either. When she woke, Cheryl was already awake and pressing soft kisses to her neck. She groaned because it felt nice, but also because her pain meds had worn off. She allowed Cheryl to keep kissing her for several moments before asking for her pain pill. Jughead, who could sleep through absolutely anything, was snoring like a buzz saw as they found a movie on HBO to watch together. For the most part, they spent the day in the hotel because of how difficult it was for Toni to get around. Jughead decided he would drive back the next morning and made the offer to drive Toni back. Cheryl then explained that she already had a plane ticket and didn’t need him to drive her, besides it would be too difficult for him to get her in and out of the car. Toni thought maybe she just didn’t want them spending that many hours together alone. What she didn’t know was about the surprise Cheryl had set in motion the previous night after her discussion with Harrison.

Arriving at the rose ceremony, Toni was relieved to know she’d soon be going home. She no longer had the energy for this competition and there was no reason for her to remain. As Cheryl rolled her in to the ceremony room, the other girls expressed shock and disbelief about her state. A few of them apologized and even Veronica seemed concerned. Once everyone had made it and Harrison stood in front, he held out a rose and called Cheryl’s name. It looked to all of them as if he was giving her the first rose, but instead something else was occurring. She gripped the rose and turned toward the girls before beginning to tell the story that had been going on behind the scenes.

“I stand before you and America today because I am ready to live my truth. When I auditioned for this show, I had a lot of doubts about who I was and what I wanted. I thought this show might answer my questions. I didn’t come here expecting to fall in love. It’s hard for me to open up to people and while I liked Harry from the moment we met, I knew deep down that we could never have anything romantic between us. The truth is that I’ve been denying my true self for years, out of fear and guilt, hating myself before anyone else could. I’m never going to fall in love with a man. But on this show, I did meet someone. She was the last thing I was expecting. I’ve never been a big believer in fate, but it is too coincidental that the two of us could grow up in adjacent towns and never meet, yet we both come on the same season of the same show. I believe that the universe brought us together, and I can’t ignore the way I feel about her,” Cheryl took a breath and finally looked at Toni instead of the camera. “I want to leave here with you tonight, if you’ll have me. Toni, will you accept this rose?” Holding out the rose, her hand was shaking slightly, a tear cascading down her cheek.

“Duh,” she laughed, her nose wrinkling in happiness as she rolled her wheelchair over to where Cheryl stood. “I didn’t want to leave here without you. You’re my sweetheart.” Toni beamed, gesturing for Cheryl to lean down and kiss her, which she promptly did. When she leaned down, she stole the rose and held it against her chest. “This was a good surprise.” She praised, looking from Cheryl to Harrison, who smiled. “I guess we’re out of here. You guys behave yourselves, okay?”

Saying their goodbyes, Cheryl and Toni made their way through the room. Josie pulled them off to the side to thank both of them, indicating that Harrison told her what she’d said about her. He had chosen her for the next one-on-one and had charmingly sworn he would never take her on a motorcycle. This would not be the last time they saw the other contestants. They would likely come to the women tell all event, and it would be interesting to find out how people would respond to their story. Nothing like it had ever happened in the history of the show.

            In the back of the limousine, they watched the mansion become smaller and smaller as they drove to the airport. This was only the beginning and they both couldn’t have felt more hopeful about what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was eager to post this so if there are any mistakes, please let me know. This, for the most part, marks their end on the show but the beginning of their relationship together.


	7. Riverdale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni & Cheryl arrive in Riverdale and get closer than ever...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not to be a spoiler, but I wanted to warn you all that this chapter turns intimate. There's some smut in both this and the next chapters, so I'd caution you to read these in private. I will be changing the story's rating accordingly. Hope you enjoy!

 

            The plan, which they discussed together on the long plane ride, was for Cheryl to stay at Toni’s place in Riverdale for a week. The following week, they would go together to Cheryl’s home. Spending time together now that they were off the show would be good for their relationship, or so they hoped. Though she was nervous about showing her how she lived, Toni did her best to swallow those nerves and tell herself that she wasn’t going to judge her for her circumstances. Having her there by her side would make it easier to deal with her broken leg, but the last thing she wanted was to be a burden to her.

            As they arrived at Toni’s apartment, she warned her that she didn’t live alone. Given the time of day she didn’t believe that Fangs would be home, however, and she was careful to point out that there had never been anything romantic between them. (She knew how jealous Cheryl could get after watching her interactions with Jughead, who she still hadn’t told Cheryl was her ex-boyfriend.) Toni didn’t know what the state of the apartment would be since she hadn’t been there in weeks. Fangs was generally a pretty clean guy, so she hoped for the best as she handed over the key to Cheryl to unlock the door.

            It was almost funny how she relaxed almost immediately upon entering her apartment. Being in familiar surroundings was exactly what she needed. She couldn’t remember ever being so glad to be home. Apologizing again to her girlfriend, who was carrying in her luggage, Toni frowned. She absolutely hated not being able to carry it for them and being confined to a wheelchair that she couldn’t roll herself because of the broken bones in her wrist and arm. It wasn’t likely she would be able to use crutches either because of it.

            “Stop apologizing when you have nothing to apologize for,” Cheryl warned sternly, closing the door once their luggage was safely inside. “It’s time for your medicine. Where can I find your glasses in the kitchen?”

            “They’re in the cabinet beside of the sink.” Toni responded, knowing when she’d been defeated.

On some level, it made her feel good to have Cheryl doting on her, but on the other, she would’ve preferred it to be the other way around. She promised herself that once she was back on her feet, she would spoil the hell out of her girl. Once the redhead had disappeared from sight, she took it upon herself to get over to the couch. She hadn’t tried to operate the wheelchair, knowing people usually used two hands to do so and that she’d have to use her non-dominant hand only. Much to her surprise, she managed to roll her way over to the couch, only knocking into the coffee table a little bit. Pushing herself to her feet, she put the pressure on her left foot and hopped the short distance to the couch, collapsing against the cushions just as Cheryl entered with a glass of water and a pain pill.

“What are you doing?!” Sounding alarmed, she bent down and set the brake for the wheelchair before putting the glass onto the table. “Not only was that a terrible idea, you didn’t even set the brake and could’ve really hurt yourself.”

Toni raised her eyebrows bemusedly. “But I didn’t.” Catching Cheryl’s unapproving glare, she sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just, I want to try to do some things for myself.” She eyed the glass of water just out of reach. “Can you hand me the water?” She asked a second later, her face flushing as she did.

Cheryl provided the glass and the pill, observing while Toni took the medication and swallowed several mouthfuls of water. Once she was done, she returned the glass to the table and moved to sit on the other side of the couch.

“No, you don’t. Come lay in my lap…please?” Toni wrenched the remote control from the couch cushions and held it up for Cheryl to see. “I’ll find something for us to watch.”

Humming her agreement, she draped herself across Toni’s lap, her head settling there comfortably. Beaming, Toni turned the television on and began absently stroking Cheryl’s hair. This was exactly what she needed, she realized, to just spend some quality time with her girlfriend with no distractions.

“That feels good,” Cheryl whispered as slender fingers carded through her hair. “Mm.”

She continued to play with red locks, stopping only to hand the other girl the remote. Her eyes partly closed, Cheryl didn’t seem altogether concerned about what they were going to watch. She put something on for background noise and lifted her head with a smile. Wordlessly she found Toni’s lips, pressing gentle, loving kisses to them and getting the same in return. Toni’s hands rested on Cheryl’s lower back, sliding up under her shirt after a few minutes to feel the warmth of her skin against her. Trailing short fingernails up and down her girlfriend’s back, she smirked, finding her bra and unsnapping it with ease. Trembling somewhat, Cheryl helped Toni remove her bra, letting out a gasp when she felt her fingers run along the curve of her bare breast. She knew from their conversations that she was still a virgin, so she was going to take this slow, but it felt like a long time coming for the both of them. As her thumb brushed against her girlfriend’s nipple, she earned a whimper that caught her by surprise.

“God, you’re so perfect…” Toni murmured heatedly into her ear when she felt Cheryl’s nipple harden to her touch. She had to squeeze her legs together to contain the desire that came coursing through her veins. It had been a few months since she’d been with anyone and while they’d gotten close before, this was as far as she’d ever been with Cheryl. She was eager to explore every movement and experience them on their own, not in a rush to get to the end goal. “Do you know how bad I want you?” She whispered.

“Then take me.” Cheryl’s response tantalizing, she flashed Toni a shy smile.

Her words an invitation, Toni lifted Cheryl’s sweater up over her head and took a sharp breath in when she was greeted with the sight of her bare chest. She’d easily imagined this dozens of times, but her fantasy and the reality of Cheryl half naked before her was even better. It wasn’t like the bath they took, where they’d put boundaries in place. Now Cheryl had essentially given her permission to take things further and she found she was actually nervous. Both of her hands gave her girlfriend’s breasts prompt attention, though her right hand was much less viable given the wrist cast she wore. All the casts weren’t in her original rendering of this situation, but she wasn’t about to complain. The breathy moan that Cheryl let out had her squeezing her thighs together even tighter, silencing her girlfriend with a kiss unlike any they’d shared before. Toni’s tongue slipped into her mouth easily, her hands settling over her lower back before running alongside her ass. She wanted to see and touch every inch of this goddess of a woman and tonight was the night she’d finally get to worship her the way she intended. When their mouths broke apart, Toni’s relocated to Cheryl’s neck, peppering it with kisses and soft sucking that had her girlfriend melting against her. Satisfied with the reddening of milky white skin, she dipped her head down, trailing the kisses down her chest before slowly capturing one of Cheryl’s nipples in her mouth. Panting, Cheryl’s hands grabbed the sides of Toni’s head, holding her in place as she trembled against her attention. Her moans were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Her cheeks as red as her lipstick, Cheryl covered herself as best as she could, a panicked expression on her face.

“Oh, hey, Fangs,” Toni muttered, clearly disappointed about the interruption. She grabbed Cheryl’s shirt with her free hand and gestured for Fangs to turn around. Dutifully, he did, and Toni helped her girlfriend put her shirt back on. They could worry about the bra, which had fallen to the floor, later. Hopefully Cheryl wouldn’t be too embarrassed about that. “You can turn back around.” She declared once she was covered up.

“Hey. You must be Cheryl.” He grinned, kicking off his boots as he entered the living room and plopped down across from them. “Sorry to interrupt, but I didn’t know you were back. Should’ve put a sock on the door, Tiny.”

Cheryl seemed to have recovered from being caught, as her blush had faded, and she moved to sit up. She was giving Fangs an appraising once over and then looked to Toni in approval. “He’s cute.”

“Ah, he’s alright.” Toni muttered with a wicked smirk, “I prefer redheads.”

“I saw the wheelchair. You really _that_ messed up?” Fangs gestured to the chair and the two women nodded. “I’m glad you’re okay, but those casts aren’t so sexy. Surprised your girl here wants to get with you looking so wrecked.”

Toni scoffed. “Shut up. It was going to be our first—”

“TONI!” Cheryl yelled, swatting her non-injured knee. “That is not okay.” She apparently wasn’t cool with sharing their business, which Toni would’ve known if she’d asked. She swallowed and gave Fangs a sheepish look.

He put his hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll get out of your hair soon. I’m staying with my boyfriend tonight, so you’ll have the place to yourselves…” Fangs trailed off, before considering what he could say to earn a deeper blush from Toni’s girlfriend. (Maybe he was having too much fun with this.) With a chuckle, he added, “Be as loud as you want.”

“Toni, you didn’t tell me Fangs was gay.”

“Bi, actually,” both Fangs and Toni responded simultaneously.

“Sorry- you didn’t tell me that, either. My best friend’s gay. Kevin.” Cheryl added.

Fangs lifted an eyebrow in slight interest. “Is he cute?”

Shrugging, Cheryl wasn’t sure what to say. “I have recently discovered that I am not interested in men romantically, so I’m not sure how much my opinion matters. Plus, I’m surely biased, but—yes, he’s _very_ cute.”

“Don’t even think about it. Moose would be heartbroken.” Toni warned.

Cheryl was unable to hold back a laugh. “Moose? Does anyone in this town have an _actual_ name?” Covering her mouth, she gave Fangs an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re right. It’s weird,” he agreed with her jovially as he ran a hand through dark hair. He was cute, too, and Cheryl was certain that Kevin would think so.

“Why do they call you Fangs?”

“Mm, back in seventh grade, the first time I ever made out with a girl, I got a little, uh, too into it. Made some marks on her neck where I was biting her. Everybody teased me, called me a vampire—and Fangs was born.” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “She liked it, though. That’s what matters. And Fangs ain’t so bad, as far as nicknames go.”

“It’s better than Jughead.” Cheryl hummed.

Toni crossed her arms, reading her girlfriend’s facial expression before she let out a soft sigh. “You really don’t like him, do you?”

“He’s sullen and rude.”

“That’s true, and the fact that he’s your ex probably isn’t…” Fangs realized by the look on both girls’ faces that this piece of information had yet to be disclosed. “Open mouth, insert foot. My bad. I assumed—but you know what they say about when you assume.”

“You make an ass out of you and me.” Toni recited, rolling her eyes. “You should get going. We need to have a talk now, thanks to you.”

Apologizing profusely, Fangs told Cheryl how nice it was to meet her before disappearing into his bedroom. He packed an overnight bag for Moose’s place and bid the ladies adieu and left them alone to sort through the bomb he’d inadvertently dropped on their relationship. Toni hadn’t been withholding it on purpose, but she’d been trying to figure out how to tell her. Maybe she should’ve told her before she’d met Jughead, but she hadn’t expected him to show up like that. Now Cheryl was always going to hold that against her and it had been difficult enough to earn her trust as it was.

“I was going to tell you. I planned to tell you before I took you home. I didn’t know that Jug would end up coming to the hospital, and then you met him, and I could tell you didn’t like him. I just didn’t want to give you more reasons to hate him.” Toni explained quietly, reaching into Cheryl’s lap to take her hand. The redhead looked hurt and she hated herself for being the person who hurt her. “I am so sorry. He and I dated back in high school. It didn’t last long, like a few weeks. It was obvious we were not cut out to be together. Nothing has happened between us since then. He’s like a brother to me.”

“He seems to be protective of you, and not brother protective. He didn’t like me, either. Why else would that be, except for jealousy?”

“Uh, I promise it’s not that. You…have money. People around here don’t really trust people who are well off. Northsiders look down on us and they’re all wealthy assholes, so all we’ve ever known is rich people being jerks. Once he gets to know you, he’ll see you’re not like that. Just give him a chance. He is sullen and rude, that’s true, but it becomes… almost endearing?” Toni’s thumb traced circles along Cheryl’s palm. “Baby girl. Look at me.” The redhead obeyed, meeting her eyes instead of staring at the floor as she had been before. “I told you, you’re the only person I want. I know bisexual people get a bad rap cause everybody assumes we’re cheaters who can’t keep it in our pants since we’re attracted to 'everyone', but it’s not like that. I’m not like that.”

Cheryl shook her head. “I didn’t think that,” she bit her lip. “Can you call me baby girl again?” Her voice was soft, indicating slight shame at her request.

“Yes, baby girl,” Toni purred, bringing her hand to her mouth and pressing a kiss there. “If you can help me into my chair, I was thinking we could take this to the bedroom. If you still want to…”

Cheryl assured her immediately, her voice going up an octave as she declared, “I want to.” Toni let out a laugh, wrinkling her nose and leaning in to steal a kiss.

“Eager, are we?”

She pouted. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m sorry, princess.”

That nickname earned another deep crimson flush and Toni clapped her hands together joyously. A few moments later, Cheryl helped her get back into the chair and guided her into her bedroom. It didn’t come as a surprise that Toni’s sheets were flannel, but it did give Cheryl a nice laugh. Assisting her girlfriend in getting onto the bed, she could feel her nerves increasing. Earlier, things had led up to a certain point but now they were going into this with the intention of going there. It was a great deal of pressure to live up to and probably natural to be nervous. It didn’t mean she wasn’t ready.

“I’m going to freshen up first.” Cheryl declared before asking where the bathroom was. When she disappeared down the hall, Toni reached over to turn some music on and dimmed the light. She wanted things to be perfect tonight, because she knew how much this meant to Toni. It had been a long time since she’d taken someone’s virginity and never someone she cared about as much as she did Cheryl. She was pretty sure she was in love with her, she just hadn’t had the balls to admit it yet. It felt too soon because of how long they’d known each other, but she knew what she felt was real. Toni just wasn’t sure if Cheryl was on the same page.

            In bed, Toni tried her best to get comfortable. She hadn’t imagined that her first time with Cheryl would involve navigating around the use of broken bones and ugly casts. It was less than optimal, but these things were never truly perfect, so she pushed the thought out of her mind. It would be a challenge for her because she would be exerting her control from beneath her girlfriend, but there was more to being a top than literally being on top. She was confident that she could make this work. She didn’t have long to ruminate on it before Cheryl returned, this time sans lipstick.

            “No red lips?” Toni asked, not minding but curious why she’d removed it.

            “Didn’t want to cover your whole body with lip prints…”

            “I am totally into that, though. For the record.” She smirked, holding out her arm to encourage her girlfriend to climb into bed.

            Cheryl rolled her eyes and tugged her sweater back over her head, more confident now that Toni had already seen her. She removed the rest of her clothing, with the exception of her panties, before taking her hand and sliding easily into bed.

            “Straddle me.” Toni instructed and when she got a response about how she might hurt her, she disagreed. “No, straddle my waist and you won’t be putting any of your weight on my broken leg. Come here, baby girl.” She added the pet name to get her to do as she wished and it worked like a charm. “God, you look good on top of me.” She groaned, reaching up to stroke her girlfriend’s hair. “Lean down. I want to kiss you.”

            Their lips met in a frenzy and Toni’s hands settled, just as before, on Cheryl’s lower back. Their kisses went from needy to desperate, the redhead panting against her mouth when she felt her left hand find her breast again. The soft kneading made Cheryl groan and Toni broke the kiss because she wanted to hear her and wanted to see her. She leaned up slightly and ran her tongue along Cheryl’s nipple teasingly before sucking it into her mouth. Swirling her tongue along the hardening nub, Toni enjoyed the fruits of her labor, an elongated moan that had heat building up between her thighs.

            “Don’t hold back,” she whispered in warning once she’d brought her mouth to Cheryl’s neck, her hand slipping wordlessly into the front of her panties. Her girlfriend’s hips stuttered immediately with the new contact and she was pleased to find how wet she was. Toni’s fingers dipped into her deliciously, testing her to see how much she could take. Cheryl began bucking her hips involuntarily against her hand, the sight of which took Toni’s breath away. She’d fucked a few girls in her day, but none as beautiful in bed as Cheryl Blossom. She was never going to forget this night. Not for the rest of her life.

            When she withdrew her hand, Cheryl whined. Grinning, she brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked the juices off of them greedily. “You taste good, baby girl,” she praised, having gathered that her girlfriend had a bit of a praise kink. Noticing the overwhelmed look on her face, her expression softened. “You good?”

            “Uh huh. Why’d you stop?”

            “I’m just teasing you…”

            “Well, _don’t._ I’ve been waiting years for this.”

            A dark arousal flashed over Toni’s features and she nodded sagely. She had one more request of Cheryl if she was to give her what she wanted—a new position. She seemed a little ruffled by the change, but Toni explained to her how difficult it would be to do this the way she normally did. Despite her anxieties, Cheryl did as she was told, hovering just above Toni’s mouth. With a grin, she put her hands-on Cheryl’s hips and lifted her head slightly, her tongue testing her girlfriend’s folds. The redhead immediately gasped and trembled, causing her to hold onto her hips more tightly, holding her in place as she began eating her out. This was no new thing for Toni, but Cheryl’s reactions…they had her more turned on than anything she’d ever experienced. The soft moans, the mewls, the whimpers, the moments when she was so overwhelmed all she could do was breathe (or even better, hold her breath), it was intoxicating to know that she had so much control over Cheryl’s desires. When her girlfriend finally fell apart against her, she blinked back tears, thinking about how if her friends knew she was crying during her first time with her that they’d never let her live it down. Licking her lips clean of any remaining Cheryl taste, she helped her roll over beside of her.

            “You were beautiful…” She praised, giving her girl some time to recover. While this was probably not her first orgasm, it was her first by another’s hand, or in this case, mouth. “Take your time. I’m gonna need a minute anyway,” Toni groaned, squeezing her thighs together. She could literally feel her heart beating in her crotch. What the actual fuck? “You do things to me. Things—nobody ever has.”

            “I didn’t do anything.” Cheryl responded bashfully but looking pleased to hear it.

            “ _Yes,_ you did. You didn’t hold back. The sounds you made, the way you squirmed against me, the looks on your face, all of it was perfect. And you got me so fucking wet.”

            Cheryl didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Toni rolled over onto her side, looking at her girlfriend for a moment before curling her arm around her waist. This kiss was less sensual than the last, and instead felt more full of love. When it broke, Cheryl was gazing at her with what looked like pure adoration. Toni didn’t know how she got so lucky. Without even considering the consequences, she blurted it out—

_“I love you.”_


	8. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Toni lays her feelings on the line, she waits to hear how Cheryl will respond. A brief misunderstanding leaves Toni hurt. Cheryl gets to know Toni's friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more smut in this chapter. Also it's shorter than usual, but I've had a busy week. Enjoy!

            “You… _love_ me?”

Cheryl sounded altogether uncertain, having never had someone say that to her before. Maybe a handful of times from family members over her life, but never anyone else. The way that she was looking at her broke Toni’s heart. It was like she didn’t believe she meant it. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded, slipping her hands around the sides of her girlfriend’s face.

“I **love** you.” She repeated, this time keeping her eyes on Cheryl’s. Slowly but surely, the redhead’s quizzical expression morphed into a smile, albeit a small one. Averting her gaze shyly, she bit her bottom lip. “You don’t have to say anything.” Toni added, not wanting to pressure her into reciprocating if it wasn’t something she was feeling at the present time. She didn’t have to love her back, but she did hope that one day, she would.

“No, I—” She laughed softly, the kind of laugh that indicated she was feeling overwhelmed. “I think I love you, too. I feel really, really good. I can’t explain it. I’ve never felt this way before, but I think…that it must be love.” Cheryl’s cheeks pinkened.

Toni’s thumb swiped across Cheryl’s bottom lip. In a low voice, she spoke, “C’mere,” before pulling her girlfriend against her and initiating a slow, intimate kiss.

            Their bodies melted together, skin against skin as they kissed with renewed fervor, a sense of relief coming over them now that they knew they both felt the same way. Cheryl’s hand parked on her hip, she let out a soft groan when she felt her nails dig into her skin. They were shorter than they usually were but still sharp enough to make an impact. She’d noticed she had removed the red polish she normally wore and cut them shorter when they were on the plane. Though Toni hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, now it was becoming clear why she might have chosen to do so.

            When Cheryl’s mouth left hers, Toni took a moment to breathe, but she didn’t have long before she felt lips against her neck. The unexpected sensation made her let out a soft groan, her fingers slipping into her girlfriend’s hair as she kissed the curve of her shoulder. It seemed as if she was mimicking a great deal of what Toni had done, but she had no complaints about it. As Cheryl’s palm closed over her right breast, she released a shaky breath, watching her through lidded eyes. It may have been her first time, but she was learning quickly. There was a soft squeeze followed by a whispered compliment: “do you know how lovely you are?”

Her mouth found hers again, nails trailing across her bare abdomen making Toni shudder. She could feel Cheryl’s lips upturning as she smiled against her kiss. As trembling fingertips brushed gently against her mound, Toni dug her teeth into her girlfriend’s bottom lip to ground herself. When her fingers finally found her heat, she thought she was about to lose it. Toni had gotten so worked up from what she’d witnessed already, and she was a little ashamed by how wet she’d become as a result. Cheryl didn’t seem to mind, however, panting quietly as she dipped her fingers into her heat.

Toni grabbed onto Cheryl’s shoulders, nails digging into the skin as a single digit slipped into her. Greedily she began to grind against her hand, desperate for the friction. “Fuck,” she groaned, pressing her face into her girlfriend’s neck. “More,” Toni demanded breathlessly. “I can handle more. Please.” Even though Cheryl had the control, she managed to exert her own desires. The redhead, as always, was such a good girl. She did as asked, a second finger joining the first. This stretched her out more, and she praised her, fucking herself desperately against her hand until a few moments later when she came undone. It happened more quickly than she would’ve liked, but it had been a while, and Cheryl was perfect. Toni’s hips stuttered as the white-hot wave of desire came over her, paralyzing her in place on the bed, only capable of soft murmurs and strings of curses: “Jesus Christ, Cheryl. Fuck,” and things of the like.

Cheryl looked pretty damn proud of herself. She smirked at her, withdrawing her hand and considering what to do next. Giving Toni a quick peck, she got up and went into the bathroom. Toni could hear the sink come on and assumed she was washing her hands. She couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t simply licked her fingers off. It was her first time so maybe she was uncertain as to what she should do but it did kind of hurt Toni’s feelings. Did she think she was going to hate the way she tasted? She didn’t say anything as her girlfriend returned to the bedroom, noticing that she’d snagged her robe in the bathroom and slipped it on.

“I definitely want to do that again,” the redhead remarked as she carefully moved to lay next to her. Cheryl reached across and trailed her finger along Toni’s nipple appreciatively. “If I wasn’t sure before, I am now. I have more than just homosexual tendencies. I am, in fact, a full-blown lesbian.” She grinned at that before noticing Toni’s expression. “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s not—it’s fine.”

“So, there _is_ something wrong,” she pushed.

“I just…I guess I was wondering why you washed your hands. I hope I didn’t like, gross you out or something.” Toni confessed, turning her head so that she didn’t have to look at Cheryl as she said it. The words made her sound insecure as hell and that wasn’t her.

She shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it. I suppose I didn’t consider how it might seem to you. I was a little scared to, uh,” she lowered her voice as if somehow someone would hear them, even though they were alone. “ _go down on you_ …just because it’s a LOT to ask of a first time, and I just—” She shook her head bashfully. “I want the first time I taste you to be when I finally get the nerve to do that.” Toni could tell it made her nervous talking about sex with her and while it was sweet, she was glad they could be open about it. That made sense and it eased her concerns.

“I’m down with that. I’m sorry, I was overthinking it and I thought you were thinking it was gross and couldn’t wait to wash your hands…” Toni rolled back toward her and reached down to unfasten the robe Cheryl wore. “I was freaked out the first time I went down on a girl, too. So, what’s up with this robe, hm? I want to see you.” She complained, pulling it open and feasting her eyes on her naked form. Toni gave her a lurid once over before meeting her eyes.

“I’m concerned we’re going to be interrupted again. I’m not eager to repeat that very embarrassing situation.” Cheryl was referring to Fangs walking in on them before.

Toni held back a laugh, not wanting to seem insensitive, and she helped Cheryl remove the robe entirely, watching as the soft silk became a lump in the bed. “Baby girl, Fangs is out for the night. He won’t be back until after work tomorrow. No one is interrupting us.”

The affirmation seemed to calm her down. Cheryl and Toni lay together in bed, the shorter girl insisting to be the big spoon despite the cast(s) she wore. It was easy to fall asleep with her, but when she woke up in the middle of the night and needed to pee, she felt like she was in a major predicament. Against her own wishes, she woke Cheryl up to have her help her to the bathroom, but she insisted she leave the room while she went to “preserve the magic.” Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she thanked her girlfriend when she returned her back to bed and fell easily into her arms. What she didn’t expect was for Cheryl to wake her up in the morning as the sun streamed in through the blinds, placing slow, soft kisses to her lips. Toni would’ve thought she’d be concerned about morning breath and definitely didn’t see her as a morning nookie kind of girl.

“There’s something I want,” Cheryl whispered, as if Toni couldn’t already tell.

“Yeah, woke me up for sex, did you?” Toni boasted proudly, “Do you want my mouth again, or did you want me to—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her girlfriend interrupted her. “No. I know you have…” Cheryl trailed off, distracted when she saw how the blanket had shifted and gave her a perfect view of Toni’s bare chest. “Other things. Don’t you?”

“You mean toys?”

“Yes.”

Wow. That was unexpected. She thought this would happen at some point but not this soon. Maybe Cheryl was kinkier than she’d realized or just eager to explore. Either way, score for Toni. She couldn’t help but smirk wickedly. This girl was hers. Fuck yeah.

“Sure, I’ve got loads,” Toni chuckled. “Pick your poison,” she added with a yawn. Cheryl eyed her, looking around nervously. “What is it? What do you want?” She leaned in to whisper into her ear. “Oh, that. I think that can be arranged. I might need some help putting it on, though.” She told her girlfriend where she could find what they needed, and Cheryl helped her slip it on. Toni could tell how eager she was to do this, and it was honestly kind of invigorating. All trace of drowsiness was gone once she was all strapped in. “We just have to get you ready.” She declared once everything was set to go.

Cheryl’s face flushed deeply. “No, we don’t.”

Confused, she reiterated. “Yeah, we do, or it’s going to hur—” Cheryl took her hand and placed it between her thighs. Toni was shocked to find she was already very wet. “…you started already, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t intentional. I woke up touching myself. I think I was dreaming. Anyway, I want you inside me now.”

The matter-of-fact way that she said it was just so fucking hot. Toni was not going to complain about this turn of events, as surprising as it was, and with a cocky grin she stroked the toy now attached to her.

“Then get over here and ride my cock, baby girl.”

She liked the dirty talk, she found, as she watched Cheryl immediately do as she was told, climbing on top of her and making her wince when she bumped into her leg inadvertently. Toni helped her find the right position and together, they lowered her down onto the dildo. They did so slowly, but even so, once it entered her, Cheryl reacted immediately. It took some time for her to get used to it and once she was comfortable, Toni assured her she could control the speed and force with which things would go. With her uninjured hand, she reached up to rub at her girlfriend’s clit, groaning when Cheryl responded by rocking against her. It was an unforgettable sight having her here like this, one that had Toni biting her lip, especially once the moaning started. Though it was mildly uncomfortable, Toni started fucking her, holding her there as she watched the toy slam more roughly into Cheryl. It seemed like that was just what she needed, too, because her girlfriend was now whimpering, and her hips were moving quickly, forcing the length into her both with more force and much faster than before. Shit, she was a quick study, and if she was this into it this early, Toni could tell they were going to have a hell of a time together. As Cheryl slowed, it became evident how close she was, so she provided the extra clitoral stimulation to send her teetering over the edge. With the loudest moan she’d heard thus far, Cheryl released, letting out a few soft whimpers as she dealt with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Toni slowly pulled out of her, impressed by how slick the silicone toy had become. Wordlessly she slid it out of its harness and brought the dildo up to her own lips, greedily licking Cheryl’s juices from it. She was not normally this voracious in her sexual appetite, but her girlfriend brought this out of her and somehow the way she tasted was almost addicting. Toni had tolerated girl’s tastes before, but Cheryl was on another level. She didn’t know what she ate to make herself taste so good, but…damn. She couldn’t get enough. Had Cheryl asked her to eat her out right then, she would’ve done it without question.

“Should I reciprocate?” Cheryl asked as she collapsed into a heap beside of her.

“Not necessary. Think I need a nap.”

Promptly they fell asleep again and the next time they woke, it was the afternoon. Their first day together in Riverdale and Cheryl was eager to get out & about. She kept assuring her that there wasn’t shit to do in town but she wanted to see it all. After they got ready, Toni made some breakfast (nothing special, just some Eggo waffles) and then they set out on the town. Of course she ran into every single person she knew on their town tour, all of whom were asking her about Cheryl. Technically they were supposed to keep a low profile, because the show hadn’t aired yet due to still going on, but Toni doubted Riverdale people would spill the beans. When lunch rolled around, they met the boys at Pop’s. Pop Tate loved Cheryl straightaway and insisted on her lunch being “on the house.” As they sat together sipping on milkshakes, the four people Toni loved most got to know each other better—Cheryl, Jughead, Fangs and Sweet Pea.

“Once Tiny’s back on her feet, we’ll have to go on a poker run together. I know she’s been dying to get a girl on the back of that bike,” Sweet Pea stated just before taking a final sip from his straw. His strawberry milkshake was gone, and he was just a little disappointed. “Are you any good at poker, Cheryl?”

Nodding, she wiped a smear of vanilla from her lips before speaking. “Actually, I am. Though I am not thrilled at the idea of Toni back on a bike.”

“I am way more experienced than Harrison was, for one! And besides, you have no idea how much you’re gonna love it. The wind in your hair, that sense of freedom you have. There’s nothin’ like it.”

Jughead popped up from his position drawing on Toni’s cast. “She’s right. It’s pretty great. I only took it up a few years ago, but I love it now. Never thought I would. Have you ever been on a motorcycle?”

“No. I’m not opposed. Just more concerned for Toni’s safety. This has been a big ordeal for both of us. I know being confined to the chair is driving her insane,” she glanced over at her girlfriend with a smile. “Hopefully you won’t be shorter now that you broke your leg. I’m already quite a bit taller than you.”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Fangs put in.

“It’s kind of hilarious…” Sweet Pea murmured. “We’ve been calling her Tiny for forever. Never expected her to end up with a tall chick. Plus, those heels you wear don’t help.”

“I like the heels,” Toni interjected. “Don’t stop wearing the heels.” She gave Cheryl a dark look. She’d always been into femme girls and Cheryl was most certainly that. She could handle a four to six-inch height difference.

“I don’t intend to. I enjoy them just as much as you do…” Pausing, she saw Toni’s expression and let out an easy laugh. “Maybe not quite as much as you do.”

“Jug, did you draw _boobs_ on my cast?”

“No, how immature do you think I am?” Jughead shot back. “It’s a butt. Obviously.”

Grabbing his burger with one hand, he stuffed his face and when Toni glanced over at Cheryl, she could see her disgusted expression. It made her grin. She didn’t totally hate him anymore, which was progress. She was pretty sure at some point maybe they’d even be friends.

“Oh, that reminds me. We got you something.” Sweet Pea interrupted, getting to his feet. “I just have to grab it from the car.”

“Me?” Toni queried.

“No, Cheryl,” Fangs gestured to the redhead. “In honor of us meeting you and everything. To show you our appreciation for taking such good care of Toni.”

As Sweet Pea disappeared out to the parking lot to get into his car, Jughead focused his attention on Cheryl for the first time since they’d sat down. Instead of being a smartass or making a stupid comment, he took a moment to be genuine with her. He could tell she wasn’t crazy about him, but he hoped that this might change that.

“Cheryl,” he said her name gently to get her attention and she immediately turned to him, raising her eyebrows in response. “Fangs is right. We do appreciate you. A lot. It’s obvious you care a lot about Toni and she cares a lot about you. It’s been a long time since anyone has made her this happy. We’re stoked she found you. I know we’re all kind of annoying, but hopefully, at some point you’ll find that endearing like Toni does. Just think of us as your irritating younger brothers. As far as we’re concerned, you’re part of the family.”

With that, Sweet Pea returned, holding a red leather jacket. Cheryl blinked, looking rom the jacket to Jughead and then to Toni. “Is this what I think it is?” Sweet Pea flipped it around so that she could see the logo on the back. “It is. You guys, wow. I’m honored.” She climbed out of the booth and he helped her into the jacket.

Toni clicked her tongue appreciatively. “Looks good on you.”

“Red suits you, Cheryl. I can see why it’s your color,” Fangs complimented. “Now I’m a little jealous of your jacket…we all have black ones.”

“It’s amazing. Thank you.”

Jughead grinned. “We all chipped in for it. Like I said. You’re part of the family now.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't feel super confident writing the boys, so I apologize if any of them are out of character. I haven't focused on them a lot when watching the show, so my knowledge is pretty basic. If you have suggestions for how to make this better, let me know!


	9. Thistlehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni meets Penelope & Nana Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Life has gotten crazy. It won't be long before this fic comes to an end and I'm hoping you enjoy the rest of the ride.

The Bachelor Mansion had been impressive to Toni, but Thistlehouse blew it out of the water. As Cheryl drove up to the estate, she could feel the color drain from her face. She’d known that her girlfriend was rich, but she hadn’t really grasped…just _how_ rich. Her mouth went dry as she gazed out the window—the mansion reminded her of something out of Downton Abbey or something. It was Victorian in style, she thought, she didn’t know much about architecture, and even the topiary was immaculate.

            “Holy shit,” Toni muttered, more to herself than to Cheryl, who glanced over at her from the driver’s seat. “This is where you grew up?”

            “Technically, no. _That_ was Thornhill, which unfortunately burned down, but Thistlehouse is very similar.” Cheryl responded thoughtfully, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel in a display of nervous energy.

            “A lot to unpack here.” She paused, “Why…do they have **names?** They’re houses.”

            “Because they’re estates and because the Blossoms are very…” Cheryl seemed to struggle to find the exact word to describe her family’s extravagance. “Extra.”

            “Oh, I know this. You’re the only Blossom I’ve met, but I know this,” Toni laughed, messing with the seatbelt as she tried to take in the manor which was much larger than her tiny apartment or the trailer she used to live in before Sunnyside Trailer Park had been destroyed. She swallowed, averting her eyes from the window and looking back to Cheryl, who was pulling the vehicle up in front of Thistlehouse. “So, how did your old house burn down?”

            “Funny story. I set it ablaze myself.” She said without an ounce of humor.

            “You’re kidding,” Toni replied incredulously.

            “I am not. I was in a fit of rage…at my family, at what they had done. It was not long after my suicide attempt. When I returned to Thornhill, all I could think about were the horrific deeds that had taken place in that house. I couldn’t stand to be there anymore. I wasn’t thinking straight…I doused the carpets with gasoline and lit a candle. Dropped it on the floor and watched my childhood home go up in flames. Talk about a cleansing experience.”

            “Wow.” Toni was struck by how casually Cheryl spoke about it. Sure, it had likely been a while since it happened, but she sounded so matter-of-fact about committing arson. It wasn’t like she’d never broken the law herself, but it was difficult to imagine Cheryl doing something so destructive. After a moment, she inquired, “Was anyone hurt?”

            “My mother. She survived, she was fine. Just a little burnt. Mostly her hands. She deserved it, if you ask me. Speaking of my mother, you’ll be meeting her today. I warn you she is not the warmest of mothers, and she may very well be unkind to you.”

            Toni nodded, having already expected as much. “I can handle it.”

            “I know you can.” Cheryl smiled as she unfastened her seatbelt, leaning across the console of the car to pull Toni in for a kiss. All of her worries melted away as she felt her lips against hers, reminding her that whatever happened, they would get through it. She wasn’t looking forward to meeting her mother for a whole host of reasons, the largest being how abusive she’d been toward her daughter. It was going to be difficult to maintain any semblance of respect toward the person who had caused such deep wounds in the woman she loved, wounds that were still not fully healed and may well never be.

            “Why do you still live here?” She’d asked after mulling it over in her mind, unable to come to a conclusion about why Cheryl would choose to continue to live with her after everything that had happened.

            Cheryl sighed. “There are a few reasons. Nana Rose is one of them. If I left her here, they would send her away to a nursing home…I could not bear to let that happen. She’s the only decent person in my family and I would do anything to protect her, including making myself miserable. Staying here at Thornhill was also a stipulation in my father’s will. In order to run Blossom Maple Farms, I have to reside in the family home. If I were to move, I would have to relinquish the company to my mother.”

            “Gross.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

            “Exactly.” Her girlfriend agreed, tightening her grip on the steering wheel so much that her knuckles turned white. “But if I manage to sell the company, I can leave. Let her rot in this place for all I care. I have considered buying my own place, and inviting Nana Rose to come live with me. Though… I am not so sure she would want to.”

            “Why not?” Toni responded quizzically.

            “She’s stubborn. Doesn’t want to hold me back. You’ll see. I am looking forward to your meeting her. Come, are you ready?”

            “I guess. I’m…nervous.” She confessed, not really knowing what to expect when she met them. It was nerve-wracking and while she didn’t care so much if Cheryl’s mother liked her, Nana Rose’s opinion seemed to matter. She wanted to make a good impression if she could.

            “I get that. Don’t worry, though. I’m here.” Cheryl slid out of the vehicle and when she reached Toni, took her hand effortlessly. She held it all the way to the door and then let go before she knocked. It was apparent that she wasn’t comfortable holding her hand in front of her family, which hurt a little, but she reminded herself she wasn’t out yet and she had the right to that privacy.

When the door opened, Toni was surprised to see Cheryl’s mother standing there. She’d expected them to have a doorman or something. “Cheryl,” she greeted in an even tone. No hug, no mention of her extended absence. Just a withering stare. Not exactly maternal.

            “Mother. This is Toni. My paramour.”

            “Your—”

            “Paramour.” Cheryl repeated sharply.

            The tension was palpable and awkwardly, Toni greeted the other woman despite wishing she could sock her in the jaw. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Blossom.”

            “Is it?” She simpered. “I suppose you’re going to come in.”

            Cheryl confirmed, “Yes.” There was no love lost between the two of them, as the conversation was nothing short of placid. It was eerie to watch them speak because one wouldn’t guess they were mother and daughter due to the lack of warmth between them. “I have come to introduce Toni to Nana Rose.”

            “She isn’t living here anymore.”

            “What?!” Cheryl exclaimed in horror. “Why not?”

            “Someone called Adult Protective Services. Claimed we were abusing her. You know how clumsy she is. Bruises from head to toe.” Penelope recounted, rolling her eyes as she gestured into the doorway. “They came to the home, met with her and then stated that the report was ‘founded’ and took her away. I believe she is living in some assisted living community now. I have their card if you wish to get in touch with them. I was told I was only allowed to visit if it was supervised. Can you believe the audacity of those people?”

            She was pissed no one had let her know. “Why the hell did no one tell me?” Cheryl raised her voice, her eyes widening in shock at the news.

            “You were _away,_ Cheryl. No one had any way to get into contact with you. The world doesn’t just stop turning because you’re not here.”

            “Get her the card.” Toni interrupted, her voice sharp, causing Penelope to look over at her immediately. She held her gaze for a moment, challenging her before disappearing into the hall. “You weren’t kidding. She’s a bitch. No offense.”

            “Why would I be offended? It’s the truth.” Cheryl looked downcast, her usual energy dampered considerably. Toni didn’t like seeing her like this. “I expect that we are not welcome here. Unfortunately, we may have to part ways…”

            Toni disagreed. “Uh, no. I’m not going anywhere. Welcome or not. I am not leaving you the fuck alone with that woman, Cheryl. She’s a—”

            Before she could get the sentence out, Penelope Blossom returned the door. She handed over a business card, or what looked to be one, anyway. It had been crumpled up and probably throw into the waste basket. It was clear that her mother cared about no one but herself. Toni felt sick. Cheryl snatched the card from her hand and smoothed it out, eyeing the details with concern as Toni and Penelope stood there sizing each other up.

            “If you will excuse me, I am going to make a phone call.” Cheryl declared, intending to call the assisted living community to inquire on her grandmother. Toni nodded, crossing her arms to her chest. She wasn’t going to just go back to the car. No way, not when the opportunity presented itself. It became clear she didn’t need to be on her best behavior and now was her moment to speak her mind.

            “Cheryl has told me a lot about you, Mrs. Blossom. Are you aware of how much damage you’ve done to your daughter?” She didn’t pull any punches, glaring harshly at the other.

            Penelope stared at her as if she was the greatest enemy she’d ever encountered. “You know nothing about my life and I don’t care to know about yours. I know all about your lifestyle and I do not approve of what you are doing with my daughter. You’re lucky that I—”

            “I would not finish that sentence if I were you. Seriously. Don’t give me a reason, bitch, because I will,” dropping her voice, she could feel South Side Serpent Toni coming out. “I have a switchblade in my boot and I can guarantee you nothing would give Cheryl more satisfaction than if I cut you from stem to stern.” She didn’t feel so intimidating given that she was standing on a crutch, but at least she wasn’t in a wheelchair like she had been the week prior.

            “What kind of monster _are_ you?” She muttered, aghast at Toni’s behavior.

            “Look in the mirror, lady. There’s only one monster here.”

            Cheryl walked back up, her hand on her hip as she glanced from her girlfriend to her mother. She seemed to sense the tension and bit back a smile, “We have been given permission to go see Nana Rose at her new home. I am elated for her to meet you.” She ignored her mother who was giving her a simpering glare and grabbed Toni’s hand. “You ready?”

            “Yeah, babe.” Toni smirked, using the term of endearment only to piss Cheryl’s mother off. “I’ve said all I need to say.”

            With a flounce, both of them turned their backs to Penelope and made their way back to the vehicle. Cheryl held it together until they were down the road and then she glanced over and noticed she was crying.

            “You okay?” Toni whispered with concern.

            “Yes, I just—I don’t want to go back there.”

            “Then we won’t, baby. We’ll figure something out.” She was already trying to assess what they should do. Getting another hotel was an option, but her place wasn’t far, so they could always go back there. “I don’t like you being around her. I know she’s your mother, but she’s hurt you too much already.”

            “I can’t believe you threatened to cut her. I love you so fucking much.” Cheryl wiped her eyes, looking over at Toni and reaching down to squeeze her hand. “I like that you’re protective. I’ve never had that before.”

            “I didn’t realize you’d heard me. I was hoping you wouldn’t. I felt like maybe I was overreacting but the stories you’ve told me, they’re…awful. I can’t believe you grew up the way you did. That you turned out to be such an amazing woman despite all of that.”

            “Nana Rose,” she laughed, “She’s what got me through it. I was pretty sure that my mother was manhandling her, but I never had proof. I am relieved that she’s safe from her now. I just hope that she’s happy where she is.”

            “Who wouldn’t be happy getting away from that witch? Sorry.”

            “Stop apologizing and feeling guilty. She’s a monster. I know this. I have no love for her. I think I loved her once, when I was a little girl…before I knew what she was capable of.” Her voice shook as she pulled the car back onto the main street. Toni was concerned that maybe she shouldn’t be driving if she was upset. “I know now what she is and getting away from home has made me realize how good it feels to be able to breathe. To not look over my shoulder all the time. I can’t go back there after this, even if it means giving the company up.”

            “We’re going to find someone to buy it. I know we will.”

            “We?”

            “You’re not in this alone anymore.”

 

            The sign out front read Atria Riverdale and when the two of them stepped inside, Toni could feel her chest clenching tightly. She knew that this encounter couldn’t be as bad as that with Cheryl’s mother but in a way, it could be worse. If Nana Rose disliked her, it would totally break her heart. Forcing a smile, she followed her girlfriend to the elevator. In a place like this, Nana Rose could have her own apartment but also the safety and security of assisted living. Her grandpa had just moved to a place like this and he loved it. It was much better than a nursing home, allowing for much more independence.

            Cheryl’s face lit up with joy when the old woman answered the door. Nana Rose’s did the same. Before Toni could introduce herself, the two of them were embracing and she couldn’t stop smiling. This was the warmth that had been missing when she’d seen Cheryl interact with Penelope. It was a relief to see that someone in the Blossom family saw how amazing she was.

            “Come in, come in,” Nana Rose gestured, stepping back to allow the two of them to enter her home. Toni beamed, entering and moving to sit down on the couch in the older woman’s living room. “You must be a special friend of Cheryl’s.” She commented with a twinkle in her eye. Oh, she knew. They hadn’t even said anything yet, but she knew.

            “She is,” Cheryl confirmed as she sat next to Toni, her hand moving to rest on her girlfriend’s knee. “Toni is my girlfriend. We met on the show.”

            Toni blushed sheepishly, putting her hand on top of Cheryl’s. “I’m really glad that I get to meet you, Nana Rose. Cheryl talks about you all the time.”

            “Oh, she’s such a good girl.” The woman stated with a genuine smile. “If you’re what has made her this happy, then I’m glad to meet you, too. What did you say her name was?”

            “Toni. Toni Topaz.”

            “Topaz? I knew a Topaz. Several of them. Are you from Riverdale, Toni?” Nana Rose asked, her interest piqued.

            Toni nodded. “Yes. Was it Thomas? He’s my grandfather.” He’s your age, she wanted to say, but didn’t want to sound rude.

            Then Nana Rose made an odd face. “Oh, yes. Thomas Topaz. Of course. He never liked me very much. So, you must be from the South Side. Funny the two of you never met, living so close together as you did. You said you met on the show? I thought you were going there to date the Bachelor, dear.”

            “Uh, I was,” Cheryl laughed. “So was Toni. But we didn’t fall in love with him.”

            “You fell in love with each other instead. Well that’s just beautiful. Look at the two of you. You radiate love. Are you getting married? I have something for you if you are.”

            Toni’s face was red as hell. “Not—not yet.” She was curious about the comment Nana Rose had made about her grandfather but wasn’t sure if she should ask. For now, she stayed silent. Cheryl leaned into her, clearly embarrassed but also happy.

            “Nana Rose—you look well.” Cheryl commented with a smile. “I can’t remember you ever looking so well.”

            At that, she laughed, slapping her knee as she did. “That’s because I’m away from that demon your father married. It’s a wonder how much better I can look when I’m not being poisoned or pushed down the stairs. They have a memory center here, too. They specialize in the dementia. It comes and goes, but they know how to handle me. Don’t you worry about me. I am getting everything that I need here.”

            Getting to her feet, the old woman held up a finger as if to tell them to wait and then disappeared into the other room. She returned a few moments later and dropped a book onto Toni’s lap. Glancing up, she raised an eyebrow as if to ask what it was she’d just received. “It’s a photo album, dear. Of Cheryl.”

            “What? No,” Cheryl’s eyes went wide, and she reached down to snatch it before Toni pushed her hand away.

            “Oh no you don’t.”

            “Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, you let your girlfriend have a look.”

            And look she did—at every single page. There were photographs of Cheryl’s entire life spanning from her birth to more recent ones. A few of the pictures included a boy, a redhead she presumed was Jason. She’d heard so much about Cheryl’s brother and it struck her how similar the two of them looked. She felt her girlfriend’s hand touch hers, lingering on a photo of the two of them as teenagers.

            “I miss him so,” she whispered before covering her face when she saw the next picture. “That is—Nana Rose! That is not appropriate.”

            Toni cackled deviously. “Like I haven’t seen your butt before.”

            “TONI.”  
  
            “CHERYL.”

            Breaking through their playful fighting, Nana Rose spoke up, “I best be invited to this wedding of yours. It’s going to happen. I know it.”

           


	10. Women Tell All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the penultimate chapter, Toni and Cheryl appear on the Women Tell All television special and learn about how America has responded to their love story on the show. Cheryl discovers a long hidden truth and Harrison chooses his future wife.

 

            The two of them knew when they’d signed on that there would be a live show, The Women Tell All, near the end of the season. However, after leaving the house and living their lives together, it had completely slipped their minds. When they were reminded of their obligation the week before the show, they were nervous about what it would be like. The show had already began airing a few weeks ago and while people they knew had gotten into contact with them, they didn’t know how the rest of America was responding to their love story. Toni found someone to take her shifts at the shop and Cheryl was taking some vacation from the company so that they could fly out to Los Angeles for the live show. It would be the first time that they’d see or speak to Harry since they’d left and now that it was down to the final two, everyone else would be back except for Josie and Veronica. Neither of them knew what to expect and the plane ride was unusually quiet as Cheryl tried to get some sleep and Toni listened to some classic rock on her new iPod. When they touched down in LA, Toni felt out of sorts. She’d never been this far west and probably never would again. As she rose to her feet to make her way off the plane, she felt Cheryl’s hand slip easily into hers. Her leg was healed up enough that she was capable of walking without assistance, which she was grateful for. Flying with crutches wouldn’t have been fun.

            Getting through the chaos of the airport was a bit traumatic, hands clenched together as they pushed through the crowd. Once they finally made it to the waiting car, they could breathe again. Cheryl glanced over at Toni with a nervous grin. “So, do you think people love us or hate us?” She asked in a playful tone, though it was evident she cared quite a bit about the answer.

            “People who watch the show just like watching people fall in love. I’m sure there’s a homophobe or two, babe, but I think people will love us. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter. If it wasn’t for this show, we might not have met and fallen in love the way we have.” Toni reminded her gently, rubbing her palm along Cheryl’s thigh and feeling the skin warm underneath her hand.

            “Do you think that I’m being irrational? I am just not sure I could handle being scorned for what transpired. Some might look at it as a betrayal of sorts.”

            “No, you aren’t. I agree with you. But I think we need to try to forget about it.” Toni added in a soft tone, having found Cheryl’s hand and turning her body toward her in the back seat. “We can’t control what people think about us. We’ll go on there tonight and show everyone that our love is real and still very much alive. We owe that to the women and little girls out there, hoping to find love with someone other than the ‘perfect’ man.”

            Cheryl nodded, barely holding back tears. “I wish I’d known this was possible. I might have had a happier childhood. A happier life. Just knowing that my…” Her jaw set as she met Toni’s gaze, the hesitance melting away under her warmth. “My love for women is natural, beautiful. That I have nothing to be ashamed of. If I’d never met you, Toni, I wouldn’t be able to say it with this much certainty. I’m a _lesbian_.” She’d never said the word out loud and it was clear what an impact it made. The look on Cheryl’s face was pure elation. “You were exactly what I needed to finally step up and admit it, because—I couldn’t lose you.”

            “You wouldn’t have lost me. You’re never going to lose me. I didn’t want to push you to come out, and I really hope that I didn’t pressure you in any way to. I know it’s a big thing to go through on national television and if you have any regrets…”

             “ _No._ Absolutely none.” She shook her head adamantly. “I can’t recall ever being this happy. You didn’t force me into anything, TT. You gave me the bravery I needed. You showed me that I was worthy of being loved and you let me know that if I fell, I could count on you to catch me.”

            “That’s sweet and it means a lot to me, but we need to not keep talking about this or I’m going to look a mess on national television.” Toni laughed softly, blinking back tears. She threw her arms around Cheryl, bringing her in for a kiss and then a second and a third. Before she realized what was happening, they were full on making out in the back seat and they didn’t break apart until the driver cleared his throat. Jumping back like teenagers who’d been caught, they erupted into giggles.

            As they gathered themselves, the two women slipped out of the vehicle and were ushered inside where everything was being set up. Escorted to the back, Toni and Cheryl went into hair and makeup, as they needed to be “camera ready,” whatever that meant. It was bizarre seeing the other girls around. Toni caught a glimpse of Betty, who had been part of the final three. She wondered if she and Veronica would get over their blowup or not. She ran into Ethel, who had received quite a lot of attention for her time on the show. She’d been the most eccentric of the cast, which made for great television. Apparently, her funeral home had an uptick of business since the show started airing. That excited Cheryl, who thought maybe her chances of selling the farm were better, too. She hadn’t even really made that attempt but now it was certainly on her mind. After being given the ten-minute warning, everyone found their places. All of the women sat down together, Toni deliberately choosing to sit as close to Cheryl as she could muster.

            When the show began, the audience started to cheer. She heard someone scream Cheryl’s name and she exchanged a look with her girlfriend. “Did you hear that?” She whispered. The redhead nodded, wearing a grin that caught the host’s attention.

            “By far the most surprising part of this season was the unexpected love story that came about between two of our contestants…” Chris Harrison stated, pausing to allow the audience to cheer—and they did. Loudly. “Toni, Cheryl, can you come down to the hot seat?”

            Toni’s throat tightened, and nodding, she moved to stand up. Her legs felt like jelly. How was it she’d managed to be on camera all that time before and only now she was starting to freeze up? She guessed it was the audience making it more real to her, but she was freaking the hell out. She hoped she didn’t make an idiot out of herself. Climbing down the stairs, she helped Cheryl down and the two of them took a seat across from Chris.

            “I have to say this is a first on the Bachelor. The two of you captured the hearts of Bachelor Nation and I think I speak for everyone when I say that it was incredible watching you fall in love. How have things been going since you left the Bachelor mansion?”

            Cheryl glanced at Toni, who looked like a deer in headlights and she took the initiative to answer the question, turning toward Chris with a confident grin. “Things have been going so well, Chris. We’ve been inseparable since we left. We spent some time at Toni’s place and I got to meet her friends. Then she came to meet my family, which was…interesting. Sorry, America, I would’ve been an interesting hometown visit so you sure missed out. We have been living together since we left the show. We were together all the time before and the thought of being without Toni just made me so sad. I knew I couldn’t do it.” Pausing, she caught her girlfriend’s gaze once more. “Baby, do you want to say anything?”

            “I think Toni’s a little nervous, huh? It’s okay, Toni. The crowd here loves you.” Chris pointed out before the entire room erupted into uproarious applause. Even the other girls applauded. Toni wrinkled her nose, still feeling a little bashful but also proud.

            “Yeah, this isn’t really my scene. I think I made that clear. I tried out for the show on a dare. Never expected to get as far as I did. I sure as hell didn’t expect to fall in love. I knew the moment she walked in that I was a goner. I just couldn’t stay away.” Toni laughed.

            Chris Harrison said something about taking a look back at their journey on the show. It was surreal watching clips of their relationship on a big screen, knowing all of America had seen it unfold. She’d already watched all of it, but there was something different about seeing it like this. She wiped her eyes, knowing the camera would catch her being sappy, but she was so content that she didn’t care. Toni found Cheryl’s hand and squeezed it, beaming as the clip came to an end.

            “What was fascinating about the two of you is how different you are. The true definition of opposites attract. Clearly something’s working here because you’re glowing,” Chris chuckled. “What are your plans for the future? Have you talked about getting married?”

            Cheryl’s eyes sparkled with tears—the happy kind. “Not extensively. But I’m definitely interested. In case you didn’t know,” she added, nudging Toni teasingly. “We have been talking about selling Blossom Maple Farms. I’m ready to move onto the next stage of my life. Our life, together. So, we don’t have a lot of definite plans yet. Just that we’re going to be together.”

            “Exactly.” Toni smirked. “You bring any of those fancy rings of yours, Chris Harrison?” She said his name in a playful tone, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m kidding. Kinda. No, I definitely have thought about it, which is weird because I never thought I would. Something about us just works and I know it’s still pretty early on, but when you know, you know. She’s my lady…and I want her to be, for as long as she’ll have me.”

            “How about forever?” Cheryl offered, causing the crowd to let out a resounding ‘aww.’ The two them kissed to thunderous cheering. A few more minutes of talking and they went back to their seats, giving the other girls a chance to talk about their experiences on the show. The experience was bizarre yet affirming, a relief to both of them to see that their story resonated with viewers. No one hated them for what happened or blamed them for it. It seemed like people were cheering them on! That was wild as hell for two women who hadn’t had a lot of support in their life, suddenly having the support of millions.

            At the end of the night before they were to leave, Toni was approached by Harrison, who asked if she could return after he had his overnight dates. Her opinion mattered to him and he wanted her input as he tried to decide whether to choose Veronica or Josie. She was pretty sure he already knew who she preferred, but she thought it would be good to consider what he had to say about everything that had happened thus far. He wasn’t great with feelings, so if he needed her to help sort through his, then so be it. Being away from Cheryl would be difficult, but her girlfriend insisted she’d be fine. She planned to go back to Thistlehouse and get some of her stuff, intending to move out within the next month or so. While Toni wasn’t crazy about leaving her alone with Penelope, she promised she could take care of herself, and finally, agreed to bring along the guys—only because seeing the serpents there would scare the hell out of her mother. It made her feel better about Cheryl’s safety. She didn’t trust Penelope and while her girlfriend was strong, she would feel much more confident knowing she had backup in case she tried something. From what she’d heard about what she’d tried to do to Nana Rose, Penelope was dangerous. The sooner she was out of their lives, the better.

            It was late by the time they left the studio, which meant the show paid for them to stay at a hotel together in Los Angeles. Cheryl insisted that they go out and it didn’t take much twisting her arm to get Toni to agree. The two of them chose a popular gay club, finding that they were recognized right away and let in without a wait at all. It was pretty nice being recognized, the first time Toni had realized the gravity of being on the show and how it would change her life. No matter what happened later in her life, she’d always be known as the girl on the Bachelor who fell in love with a contestant. As she glanced at Cheryl, she grinned. It was a good thing to be known for, if you asked her. Her arm sliding around her girlfriend’s waist, she directed her toward the bar. Before they could order a drink, someone else bought them shots, wanting to congratulate them. One shot led to another and another, all at other people’s expense! Toni was having the time of her life right now, even if she was going to hate herself in the morning.

            Cheryl pulled her onto the dance floor as Camila Cabello's _Into It_ blasted over the speakers. Both of them were feeling pretty good and her hands were all over Toni as she danced against her, fingers sliding along her thighs. It was funny seeing this side of Cheryl, the confident sexuality wasn’t something she’d displayed before, and it made her heart beat faster. Toni moved behind Cheryl and slid her arms around waist, leaning up to press a kiss to her neck. “I love you, babe,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the music. Her girlfriend spun around and found her lips, kissing her passionately for a moment before pulling away. Before Toni could ask what she was doing, she broke out into a full dance routine, commanding the attention of a few surrounding clubbers. Her eyes widened at her moves, impressed by what seemed to be more than casual dancing. When Cheryl came back to her, she clapped her hands in disbelief. “What was THAT?” She remarked with a laugh.

            “An old dance routine from the squad. Courtesy of Riverdale High’s Vixens.” Wrinkling her nose as she smiled, she grabbed Toni’s hand and made her spin her around a few times. As the song began to shift into a slower, acoustic one, people began to shuffle their way off of the dance floor to refill their drinks. Cheryl made no move to do the same, instead insisting that they continue to dance together, since she’d never slow danced with someone she liked.

            “When you say shit like that, it makes me wish we’d gone to school together,” Toni complained, possessively resting her arms around Cheryl’s waist. “I would’ve taken you to homecoming, prom, the winter formal…I didn’t even go to those things. I thought they were dumb, I guess, but if you were my girlfriend, I would’ve wanted to show you off.”

            Cheryl blushed, looping her arms around Toni’s neck. “Better late than never.” As Toni pulled her impossibly closer, she didn’t resist, the fronts of their bodies touching intimately. “Did you mean what you said before, about getting married?”

            “Yes. Completely. Is that crazy?” Her friends would probably think so. But when you know, you know. Or was that just a thing people said? She felt like she knew long before they’d gotten serious that it was what she wanted. “I just love you, Cheryl. In ways I never thought possible. I’m always gonna want you in my life.

            “If it’s crazy, then we must both be crazy!” Cheryl giggled. “I love you. I want to be your wife. I really want that. Maybe even soon.”

            Toni’s entire body felt like it was on fire, not a pleasant warmth, but a stifling one. She wanted that too, but it also scared the living hell out of her. The word ‘soon’ was what freaked her out. How soon was she talking? “We should talk about this when we’re... less drunk.” She offered, pecking Cheryl’s cheek. “How about I call the driver and you get us one last drink? Enough so that we have an epic make out session in the car.”

            “Agreed. I want to get out of these clothes.”

            “Oooooh.” Toni teased.

            After their last drink of the night, they met the driver outside of the club, sliding into the back seat with the comfort of two women growing used to this kind of life. It sure was different than riding the bike all the time. Toni had never expected to get comfortable with a life of luxury, but if she got married to Cheryl, wasn’t that what her life would be? She didn’t care about her money, but that money did come tied to her. It wasn’t something she could avoid. To her surprise, she found that she was okay with that. Maybe she was more prepared for marriage than she’d realized. She’d made the comment somewhat in jest earlier that evening, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. The thought of coming home to Cheryl every day for the rest of her life was a comfort. That was what she wanted. Not being married didn’t prevent that from happening, of course, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been hoping to be married one day. It was a thing most girls dreamed of…even little tomboys in the South Side.

            Toni tended to hold her alcohol better than most and when it came to Cheryl, that upheld. She assisted her up to the hotel room and together they undressed and hopped into the spacious shower. By this point, they were pretty exhausted, so they fell into bed easily. Thanks to the alcohol, she slept heavy and didn’t wake until morning, her arm draped around Cheryl and their fingers interlocked. Toni couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her girlfriend’s bed head, the remnants of last night’s makeup still on her face (and a little on the pillowcase). Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to her shoulder before quietly getting out of bed. She managed not to wake her as she headed to the bathroom and even as she ordered room service for breakfast in bed, with a side of Tylenol for their headaches. It wasn’t until the food was delivered that Cheryl began to stir. Normally Toni felt like shit after drinking all night but somehow the blow seemed to be softened by waking up at this beautiful woman’s side.

            “Mm, good morning sleepyhead.” She teased. “You hungry?”

            Cheryl groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and peering at the breakfast piled up on the plate. “Maybe. But my head…” Before she could finish her sentence, Toni handed her the Tylenol and a cup of coffee. “You thought of everything.” She purred, feeling her hangover already starting to melt away.

            After a romantic breakfast in bed, including Toni’s insistence in hand feeding Cheryl strawberries, they had to get ready for their flight back home. They would both be going back to work, effectively getting back into the swing of things in their life. Toni would fly out to see Harry in a few days, but it would be a day trip, something she could handle getting covered. By the time it rolled around, she was looking forward to it and as much as she hated to admit, she was curious to see who he ended up with. Just like the rest of America. She left early in the morning, so early it was still dark. Though Cheryl knew she was leaving, she still left a sweet love note. Upon waking, she found it on Toni’s pillow and read it with a sleepy smile before holding it against her chest. She decided today would be the day she’d go to the house and grab some of her necessities. She planned to fully move out regardless of the consequences, but she needed to get some things into place first. When Cheryl arrived at Thistlehouse, she was pleased to find that Penelope wasn’t there. She told Jughead he could wait downstairs and serve as a lookout just in case she happened to show up.

            One of her favorite dresses was curiously missing from her closet. On a whim, she decided to check her mother’s closet and found not only the dress but something even more impactful—her father’s will. It was tucked into the pocket of her mother’s pea coat, just the corner poking out. As she pulled it out, she recognized it immediately for what it was, but when she started to read through it she realized something was amiss. This was not the same will she’d seen. This will said that the house belonged to her, as did the company. Penelope had been completely written out! It was a shock to find that she’d been lied to, but it wasn’t the first time it had happened, and it surely wouldn’t be the last. What mattered most was this changed everything. It meant her mother had no right to live here if she didn’t want her to. Cheryl started daydreaming then, imagining Hers and Hers motorcycles in the garage, a switch to the master bedroom complete with a luxurious bed and matching tables at each side. A walk-in closet full of red dresses and leather jackets, the best of both worlds. The idea that the good part of her life could exist within the walls where some of the worst parts had taken place was an entirely new one and she found that when truly given the option, she wanted to stay here. It was her home. Her father had left it to her and while she held a lot of complicated feelings toward him, he’d managed to do one thing right—cut her mother out of her life with the precision of a scalpel. For that, at least, Cheryl was grateful.

            Though her immediate reaction was to call Toni and tell her and her second reaction to confront her mother, Cheryl decided it was best to talk to a lawyer first to contest the will and prove the one that had been filed was false. She set up a meeting and brought the will she’d found to have it validated. Just like she’d suspected, this was the real will and the other had been doctored to her mother’s liking. She had every right to send Penelope out on her ass and that was exactly her intention, as soon as Toni got back, that is. Returning to her girlfriend’s place, she waited passionately for her to arrive at the apartment. When she stepped inside, Cheryl hadn’t even said a word before Toni had blurted out, “I have news.”

            “I do, too. Good news.” Cheryl added, beaming.

            Toni hadn’t expected her to seem so happy after going to Thornhill. “You first.”

            “I inadvertently found something my mother has been hiding from me. My father’s real last will and testament. In it he left me the house and the company. He wrote her out completely. I don’t know what she had done to make him change the will like that, but...the lawyer says it looks like the will that was filed was an old version.”

            “So, what does this mean?”

            “We can move in together. At Thornhill. We can throw my mother out.”

            “Wow,” Toni gulped. “That’s huge. I can’t wait to see the look on her face!”

            At that, Cheryl couldn’t help but laugh. It brought her tremendous joy to know she was about to give her mother exactly what she deserved. “What was _your_ news?”

             “He picked Josie!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me through ten whole chapters! Can you believe only one remains after this? I plan to write more Choni after this, especially AUs, so if you have things you'd like to see, feel free to make suggestions!


	11. Victories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl and Toni experience a few victories, which will have a tremendous impact on their lives.

            From the moment that she’d read her father’s actual will, she’d been looking forward to this. Cheryl drove behind Sheriff Keller’s vehicle in the convertible, glancing gleefully at her girlfriend. It was a momentous occasion—forcibly removing her mother from Thistlehouse, for good. She had the proper paperwork and every right to do what needed to be done. Maybe Cheryl would’ve felt guilty for doing something so cruel if her mother hadn’t been abusive toward her for her entire life. It had been Toni’s suggestion to call the sheriff to escort her, just in case things got too intense.

Though she wanted this, she couldn’t help feeling anxious. Her nerves showed in the way her hands gripped the steering wheel with so much force that her knuckles had turned white. She may have been smiling, but inside, she was a wreck. Had it _really_ come to this? Her stomach was a knotted mess and her chest tight, as if she could barely get out a single breath. Cheryl just needed this to be over. She was grateful when Toni’s hand found her own, giving it a brief squeeze before she pulled her arm around her in an attempt to steady her on the way to the front door. Without her assistance, Cheryl was certain that her knees might have collapsed. She didn’t fully understand why she was having such a reaction to something she thought she’d be ecstatic about. Apparently, it turned out to be much more emotionally complex for her than simple relief and joy.

Sheriff Keller’s knock was firm and loud. It would be heard from anywhere in the home, ensuring that Penelope would come to the door. Once her face was in view, Cheryl knew that she would never be able to erase the image of her mother’s shocked expression from her memory. Penelope glanced at the sheriff, then to Toni, and finally, to Cheryl. Blinking, she crossed her arms to her chest just prior to Sheriff Keller serving her the papers. She was forced to drop her arms, losing the sense of protection she felt as she took the notice in trembling hand. Was all of this an elaborate show, intended to play to Cheryl’s sympathies? It was difficult to tell with her.

“—how long do I have?” Penelope’s voice was quiet, defeated.

“Until the end of the week,” Toni piped up from beside of Cheryl, muscular arm still around her girlfriend protectively. Personally, Toni wanted her out sooner, but Cheryl was being considerate to some extent. It gave her mother some time to get her things together.

Penelope sighed, her gaze focused on her daughter alone. “Can we talk?” It was bizarre seeing her mother’s ego deflate, her complete loss of power over Cheryl rendering her completely flaccid. “Please?” She added with marked desperation.

“I would rather not, mother.” Cheryl responded curtly. “Honestly, I don’t have much to say, and you will not be changing my mind about this. You should have been honest about father’s will. Maybe I would have been more understanding, but given our history, I can’t say with any certainty that I would have been. Your treatment of me is wrong and you know it. I have endured years of abuse and psychological torture by your hand. You made me believe I was unworthy of love, yours or otherwise. I know the truth now. You were the monster all along, mother. I just wish that you would admit that.”

Toni’s face alight with pride, she met Penelope’s eyes evenly. What a comeuppance. This was better than she deserved. Cheryl was a saint, being far more merciful than she needed to. Toni certainly wouldn’t have been this understanding. Then again, when it came to her girlfriend, she tended to go on the defensive. Penelope’s silence spoke volumes of her inability to own up to anything she’d done. The three of them stood there for a beat before Cheryl broke her contact with Toni in favor of spinning on her heel and making her way back to the convertible. With a brief nod, Toni followed suit and left the sheriff to further explain the stipulations of the papers that Penelope had been served. When she reached the car, Cheryl was already curled up in the passenger seat, her face pressed into her hands. It was clear she was in no state to drive. Toni turned the key in the ignition, the vehicle roaring to life.

“You okay, baby?” She whispered softly, not wanting to push.

Cheryl lifted her head, a lone tear cascading down her cheek. Toni reached across the car to wipe it, wordlessly leaning her forehead against her girlfriend’s. The redhead took a shaky breath before tilting her forehead back and her chin forward, giving Toni a soft kiss. “I will be,” she promised. “I truly could not get through this without you.”

“You’ll never have to.”

“I know.”

 

_Three weeks later_

Thistlehouse was really beginning to look like their own. The lavish home had been decked out in true Blossom fashion, so of course that meant that Cheryl and Toni had to gut it from top to bottom. It had become an eclectic mix of their styles, an ongoing red and black color scheme that really made every room pop. The hallway was adorned with professionally taken portraits which Cheryl had insisted on getting of the two of them. As cheesy as it felt getting the pictures taken, Toni had to admit she loved how they turned out. It had been surreal at first, making the move from the South Side apartments to a place like this, but she’d found that she only felt at home with Cheryl by her side. As she pulled her motorcycle into the garage, Toni’s chest bloomed with happiness at the knowledge that her girlfriend was waiting for her in the den. When she entered, Cheryl stood, her expression and tone bright as she spoke.

“You are _never_ going to guess who called.” She declared the moment Toni appeared.

Toni smirked. “…you’re right. I’m not.” As per usual, the serpent was stubborn, and she wasn’t going to try to guess. It was clear that Cheryl was desperate to tell her anyway.

“Someone from Ellen. They want us on the show!” Cheryl clapped her hands together with undeniable jubilation.

“Holy shit.” Toni blinked in disbelief. “When?”

The taller woman bit her lip, hesitating as she considered her response. “They’re offering to fly us out next weekend. I hope you aren’t mad, but…I said yes.”

Toni’s eyes had to be as wide as saucers. “Are you freaking kidding me? I’m not mad!” She shook her head before spinning around in a decidedly un-Toni-like fashion. “I get to meet Ellen Degeneres?! Why would I be mad about that? Baby, oh my god.”

“What was THAT?” Cheryl asked, referring to the little dance she’d done.

“I don’t—a happy dance! Baaabe, don’t make fun of me. I know you’re just as excited as I am.” Toni gave her girlfriend a playful glare. Cheryl wrinkled her nose, grabbing the belt loops on the brunette’s jeans and pulling her close. Before Toni could say another word, Cheryl was kissing her, and it was hard to compete with that, so… she didn’t try to. Instead, she enjoyed the attention being lavished on her, including the lack of complaints about the grease smeared on her clothes as they were gradually removed.

_The next weekend_

Standing just backstage, Cheryl and Toni were hand in hand, trying to calm their nerves as the realization that they were about to step in front of not only an audience but the one and only television show host that they both admired. They could hear Ellen’s voice as she spoke into the microphone, doing her usual hijinks and whatnot. It felt like it took forever for their appearance to be announced, so when they finally heard it, they both jolted, the shock of hearing their own names from a celebrity’s mouth making them hesitate.

“Welcome to the show the standout contestants from this season of the Bachelor, Toni Topaz and Cheryl Blossom!”

After a moment, Cheryl tugged Toni out, her confidence obvious as she led them to sit on the couch. She even did a full-on pageant wave. Toni had always been impressed by her girlfriend’s confidence in front of a camera, something she herself would probably never get used to. Ellen greeted each of them and Toni couldn’t help but give her a hug, beaming as she pulled away and moved to sit down. This was way better than being on the Bachelor as far as she was concerned. Her gramps sure would think it was cool.

“So, ya’ll did not end up with the Bachelor this season.” Ellen laughed. “For anyone who hasn’t watched this season—you should, at least for these two. They have really gotten the buzz going because they unexpectedly found love with one another on the show. This is the first time in the history of the Bachelor this has happened. I gotta say, I was so much more invested in this season. The way it was edited…it was just beautiful to see you fall in love the way you did.”

“Actually, this has happened before, but not in the United States. I believe it happened in both Australia and Vietnam.” Cheryl pointed out, having done some research on it. Maybe she cried a little when she’d watched the videos of those seasons. She smiled as she continued, her hand resting on Toni’s bouncing knee. “But we really are appreciative that our story resonated with people. I know I didn’t come to the show expecting this. When I first started having feelings for Toni, I was scared out of my mind. I thought I might be kicked off the show, and I really wanted to be there…especially once I got to know her. It became obvious to me that I was meant to go on the Bachelor. She was the one I was supposed to meet. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

“I agree. Honestly, I think the show is stupid. It’s not my thing and I wasn’t shy about that. I think that’s why people liked watching both of us on the show because we’re not your typical Bachelor contestants. I definitely didn’t audition for the show to find love. I didn’t even expect to. I figured I’d go home night one, having had some free booze. I would’ve been fine with that. But then Cheryl walked in and damn. I was hooked.” Toni laughed. She was insanely nervous but she maintained her composure. She credited Cheryl for that.

“It really did seem to be love at first sight. I’m not sure you guys realized it in the moment but it became evident pretty quickly how much ya’ll liked one another. There was talk about how you tried to avoid the cameras at first because you wanted to keep things a secret. Why did you choose to be more open later in the show?”

Toni gestured to the redhead. “That was all Cheryl. I didn’t want to mess anything up for her, so I left the ball in her court.”

“I knew after a while that Harrison wasn’t who I wanted. I simply wanted to stay so that I could continue to get to know Toni, but I didn’t want to be secretive. It wasn’t easy for me, because I was basically coming out on television…”

“We have that in common.” Ellen grinned. “You were so brave. I can’t imagine what that must have been like on a dating show like the Bachelor, but it has inspired so many people. The reason we invited you on the show is because women all over the country were begging for it. You’ve really made an impression. People are rooting for you, probably more than they are for Josie and Harrison. Speaking of those crazy kids, what did you think about him choosing her at the end? Was it what you expected?”

Cheryl shrugged. “Honestly, it didn’t surprise me. A lot of the other girls were so dramatic, and she was the only one who was real. So, no, I don’t think either of us were shocked that he picked her.”

“He actually asked me before he chose.” Toni admitted, causing Ellen to raise her eyebrows. “Yeah. I guess he valued my opinion or something. Figured I have good taste in women.” She laughed. “I did tell him I thought he should go with his heart, but I also thought Josie was better for him, so I was honest about that, too.”

Nodding, Ellen agreed that she had been rooting for Josie, too. Then she got a goofy look on her face, one Toni recognized as her giving-shit-away face. (She did it on the show often enough for her to recognize that expression.) The talk show host leaned in, wearing a big grin. “So, I have a surprise for you. Alyssa, do you want to come tell them the news?”

A woman in a business suit rose from the audience and one of the show’s staff held up a microphone. She spoke confidently, “I want to buy Blossom Maple Farms. I’m prepared to make you an offer.”

Cheryl felt as if her jaw had hit the floor. This was completely unexpected. She and Toni exchanged glances, incredulous about the offer.

Ellen addressed the audience—“We’ll let them talk and after the break, Cheryl and Toni are going to play a game of Heads Up!”

            _At the end of the show_

            “We want to welcome Cheryl and Toni back out one more time before we end the show today.” Cheryl glanced at Toni uncertainly from back stage, having not been told about this. It was a big day. She’d just met Ariana Grande, who was the musical performer for the episode, and she thought that the day was done. Now they were being called out again and that meant something else must have been happening. Her heart was beating wildly.

            “Do you think she’s giving us a car?” She whispered in disbelief. Toni shrugged and dragged her girlfriend back out, showing no evidence that she had something planned.

            Once they were in front of the audience, Toni casually reached into her pocket and fished something out. Cheryl noticed how the audience and Ellen were completely silent. She looked around, clearly confused until Toni got down on one knee.

            “Oh my god.”

            “Cheryl Marjorie Blossom…”

            “Toni. Are you—”

            “I definitely am. Now, please let me finish proposing to you.” She smirked, showing a beautiful ring with an understated red stone set in the center. “Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, I knew the moment I met you that I wanted you to be mine. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wanted that to be forever. You told me that your mother said you were unlovable and I’m here today to tell you that she could not have been more wrong. You are the most lovable person I’ve ever met, and everyone in this room loves you. No one as much as I do, though. I want to keep making you laugh every single day of our lives. I want you to keep looking at me the way you do, like no one ever has. I want to give myself to you in every way possible. All this to say, Cheryl,” Her voice trembled as she spoke, tears shining in her dark eyes. “Will you marry me?”

            This was the real reason why Toni had been so nervous today. It wasn’t about the show at all. She’d planned this from the moment she heard about being on the show and had contacted Ellen’s people to set this up. Amazingly, they had even insisted on pitching in for the ring (along with the Bachelor crew). Now all that was left was Cheryl’s answer. Damn, this would be hella embarrassing if she turned her down. Rejected on live television? That sure would wreck a girl’s self-esteem. She swallowed hard, waiting on bended knee for a response.

            “Obviously.” Cheryl whispered, blinking two tears free. “I can’t believe you did this. Get up, you crazy beautiful fiancée of mine.”

            “Did you just say yes?” Toni clarified as she stood, stumbling somewhat as she fumbled to put the ring on Cheryl’s slender finger.

             Cheryl couldn’t help but chuckle at her uncertainty. “Yes. Did you really think I could ever say no to a forever with you?”

            “Okay, you realize how cheesy you’re being? We _are_ on camera. You’re going to ruin your reputation.”

            Playfully Cheryl swatted at Toni before showing her ring to the camera man. The show ended with the audience’s raucous applause, and after having been proposed to, she had to meet with the woman who wanted to buy the farm. It had been a Very Big Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, this is the end. I might be persuaded to do a wedding-style sequel at some point, if there's enough interest. I want to apologize for the long periods in between updates, but real life has gotten busy, and for a hot second I was afraid this fic would never get finished. That's why this final chapter is much shorter than I would've liked. I have a tendency not to finish things but I wanted to do better for all of you, who have been so good to me. Thank you for reading and keep your eye out for future Choni works, as well as other wlw ships that I'm sure I'll write about in the future.


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